Dental microwear of European Miocene catarrhines: evidence for diets and tooth use

Abstract

Abstract Paleontologists have identified ape-like primates from the middle and late Miocene of Europe for more than a century, and new finds continue to improve the record of these important forms. Both hominoids and plio-pithecids are recognized in these assemblages. One key to understanding the ecology and evolution of these primates is the inference of their feeding adaptations. The current study reconstructs the diets of European Miocene catarrhines by examining microscopic use-wear on their teeth. Molar microwear data, such as the ratios of microscopic pits to scratches, reveal a diversity of dietary specializations not seen in living apes, ranging from hard-object feeding for Ouranopithecus macedoniensis to soft-fruit eating for Dryopithecus spp., Anapithecus hernyaki , and Pliopithecus spp. to folivory for Oreopithecus bambolii and pliopithecid specimens from Castell de Barbera, Spain. Incisor microwear analyses also identify variation among these primates such that O. macedoniensis and Pliopithecus platydon probably more often used their front teeth in the ingestion of small or angular abrasives than did other primates studied. Further, O. macedoniensis evidently used its front teeth for a variety of ingestive behaviors that included more stripping of foods laterally across the incisors than did the other taxa examined.