Paracolobus

Paracolobus Temporal range: Pliocene–Early Pleistocene PreꞒ Ꞓ O S D C P T J K Pg N ↓
Holotype specimen of P. chemeroni (AMNH 129319)
Scientific classification
Kingdom:	Animalia
Phylum:	Chordata
Class:	Mammalia
Order:	Primates
Suborder:	Haplorhini
Family:	Cercopithecidae
Subfamily:	Colobinae
Genus:	† Paracolobus R.E.F. Leakey, 1969
Type species
†Paracolobus chemeroni Leakey, 1969
Species
†Paracolobus chemeroni †Paracolobus enkorikae †Paracolobus mutiwa

Paracolobus is an extinct genus of primate closely related to the living colobus monkeys. It lived in eastern Africa in the Pliocene and Early Pleistocene. ^[1] Fossils have been found in Kenya and Ethiopia, in places such as the Omo valley. ^[2]

Description

Species of Paracolobus were large monkeys; P. chemeroni is estimated to have weighed between 30–50 kg (66–110 lb), ^[3] while P. mutiwa and the comparatively small P. enkorikae have been estimated at 39 kg (86 lb) and 9 kg (20 lb), respectively. ^[4] Compared to another giant monkey Cercopithecoides , Paracolobus had a longer face and deeper jaws. It had a longer cranium, broader muzzle, wider face and longer nasal bone than its closest relative, the extinct Rhinocolobus . ^[5] Its dentition was similar to modern colobus monkeys, indicating a largely folivorous diet. ^[4] Despite its large size, it was probably arboreal like its modern relatives.

References

1. McKenna and Bell, 1997, p. 344
2. Leakey, Meave G. (1982). "Extinct large colobines from the Plio-Pleistocene of Africa" . American Journal of Physical Anthropology. 58 (2): 153–172. doi:10.1002/ajpa.1330580207.
3. Brooks, Alison S. (2004). Encyclopedia of Human Evolution and Prehistory: Second Edition. Taylor & Francis. p. 188. ISBN   9781135582289.
4. Fleagle, John G. (2013). Primate Adaptation and Evolution. Elsevier Science. pp. 353–408. ISBN   9781483288505.
5. Werdelin, Lars; Sanders, William Joseph (2010). Cenozoic Mammals of Africa. University of California Press. p. 405. ISBN   9780520257214.

Literature cited

• McKenna, M.C. and Bell, S.K. 1997. Classification of Mammals: Above the species level. New York: Columbia University Press, 631 pp.  ISBN   0-231-11013-8