Köhler M, Moyà-Solà S
Institut de Paleontologia Miquel Crusafont, c/Industrial, 23, 08201 Sabadell, Spain.
Proc Natl Acad Sci U S A. 1997 Oct 14;94(21):11747-50. doi: 10.1073/pnas.94.21.11747.
Comparative morphological and functional analyses of the skeletal remains of Oreopithecus bambolii, a hominoid from the Miocene Mediterranean island of Tuscany-Sardinia (Italy), provides evidence that bipedal activities made up a significant part of the positional behavior of this primate. The mosaic pattern of its postcranial morphology is to some degree convergent with that of Australopithecus and functionally intermediate between apes and early hominids. Some unique traits could have been selected only under insular conditions where the absence of predators and the limitation of trophic resources play a crucial role in mammalian evolution.
对来自中新世意大利托斯卡纳-撒丁岛地中海岛屿的类人猿巴氏奥瑞猿猴骨骼遗骸进行的比较形态学和功能分析表明，两足活动在这种灵长类动物的定位行为中占了很大一部分。其后肢骨骼形态的镶嵌模式在某种程度上与南方古猿趋同，在功能上介于猿类和早期原始人类之间。一些独特的特征可能仅在岛屿条件下被选择，在这种条件下，捕食者的缺失和营养资源的限制在哺乳动物进化中起着关键作用。
