An 11.9-million-year-old fossil ape species with an unusually flat, "surprisingly human" face has been found in Spain. The discovery suggests humans' ape ancestors split from primitive apes in Europe, not Africa—the so-called cradle of humanity—a new study says.
The species,
Anoiapithecus brevirostris, may also represent the last
known common ancestor of humans and living great apes—including
orangutans,
gorillas, and
chimpanzees
Surprisingly Human"
Unearthed at a fossil-rich site near Barcelona in 2004, the fragmented skull
remains suggest a species with human-like facial features,
Resembling both primitive ape species and our early ancestors,
Anoiapithecus could be called a missing link
The ape's wide nose and long palate, for example, resemble those of the ancient
apes from which great apes and humans arose
But Anoiapithecus' thickly enameled teeth and robust jaw are like those
of primitive Kenyapithecus fossil apes, which lived in both Africa and
Europe
clipped from: news.nationalgeographic.com 