Morotopithecus and the upright back
A Ugandan ape has a stiffened lower spine — possibly the first hint of an upright body.
- When
- —
- Duration
- 1 million years
- Known to
- ± 1 million years
- Era
- Miocene, Cenozoic
Morotopithecus, from about 21 million years ago, preserves vertebrae and a shoulder blade that some researchers read as evidence of a stiffened, upright trunk suited to suspension and vertical climbing — traits otherwise not seen for another ten million years. The interpretation is disputed and the material is limited. Recent work also indicates it lived in seasonally dry woodland rather than closed rainforest, which would push open-habitat adaptation in apes much earlier than assumed.