Aegyptopithecus endocasts: Oldest record of a pongid brain

✍ Scribed by Leonard Radinsky

• Book ID: 102702974
• Publisher: John Wiley and Sons
• Year: 1973
• Tongue: English
• Weight: 829 KB
• Volume: 39
• Category: Article
• ISSN: 0002-9483
• DOI: 10.1002/ajpa.1330390214

✦ Synopsis

Abstract

Incomplete endocasts of Aegyptopithecus, one of the oldest known pongids. indicate that by 26 to 28,000,000 years ago the pongid brain was advanced over that of most prosimians in having relatively more visual cortex, relatively smaller olfactory bulbs and a well developed central sulcus, and in being relatively larger. The brain of Aegyptopithecus was more primitive than that of modern anthropoids in having a relatively smaller frontal lobe. The brain of Aegyptopithecus was relatively long and low, like that of Alouatta, but unlike that of most other anthropoids; that difference in shape may be the result of allometric factors, or may reflect retention of primitive cranial features in Aegyptopithecus.