View source for Palaeopropithecus

{{Short description|Extinct genus of lemurs}}
{{use dmy dates|date=November 2021}}
{{Automatic taxobox
| fossil_range = {{fossilrange|Quaternary}}
| image = Palaeopropithecus maximus skull.jpg
| image_caption = Front view of ''P. maximus'' skull
| status = EX
| status_system = IUCN3.1
| status_ref = <ref>{{cite iucn |author=Godfrey, L. |year=2021 |title=''Palaeopropithecus ingens'' |page=e.T136532A17971784 |doi=10.2305/IUCN.UK.2021-2.RLTS.T136532A17971784.en}}</ref> (''P. ingens'') 
| extinct = 1620
| taxon = Palaeopropithecus
| authority = [[Guillaume Grandidier|G. Grandider]], 1899
| subdivision_ranks = Species
| subdivision = {{plainlist|
* {{extinct}}''P. ingens'' <small>[[Guillaume Grandidier|G. Grandider]], 1899 type</small>
* {{extinct}}''P. maximus'' <small>[[Herbert F. Standing|Standing]], 1903</small>
* {{extinct}}''P. kelyus'' <small>Gommery et al., 2009</small><ref name="2009Gommery">{{Cite journal |last1=Gommery |first1=D. |last2=Ramanivosoa |first2=B. |last3=Tombomiadana-Raveloson |first3=S. |last4=Randrianantenaina |first4=H. |last5=Kerloc'h |first5=P. |title=A new species of giant subfossil lemur from the North-West of Madagascar (Palaeopropithecus kelyus, Primates) |journal=Comptes Rendus Palevol |volume=8 |issue=5 |year=2009 |pages=471–480 |doi=10.1016/j.crpv.2009.02.001}}
*{{cite press release |date=27 May 2009 |title=New Extinct Lemur Species Discovered In Madagascar |website=ScienceDaily |url=https://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2009/05/090527073030.htm}}</ref>}}
|range_map = Palaeopropithecus range map.svg
|range_map_caption = Subfossil sites for ''Palaeopropithecus''<ref name="2002Hartwig">{{cite book |editor1-last=Hartwig |editor1-first=W.C. |last1=Godfrey |first1=L.R. |last2=Jungers |first2=W.L. |title=The Primate Fossil Record |url=https://archive.org/details/primatefossilrec00hart |url-access=limited |chapter=Chapter 7: Quaternary fossil lemurs |pages=[https://archive.org/details/primatefossilrec00hart/page/n118 111]–112 |publisher=Cambridge University Press |year=2002 |isbn=978-0-521-66315-1}}</ref>{{Clear}}'''{{color|#e41a1c|red}}'''=''P. kelyus''; '''{{color|#4daf4a|green}}'''=''P. ingens'';{{Clear}}'''{{color|#377eb8|blue}}'''=''P. maximus''
| range_map_alt = Map of Madagascar, off the southeast coast of Africa, with two red dots in the north of the island, one blue dot near the middle, and fifteen green dots in the southwest and west parts of the island. There is also one blue explanation mark in the extreme northwest and a red explanation mark in the southwest.
}}

'''''Palaeopropithecus''''' is a recently [[extinct]] genus of large [[sloth lemur]]s from [[Madagascar]] related to living [[lemur]] species found there today. Three species are known, '''''Palaeopropithecus ingens''''', '''''P. maximus''''', and '''''P. kelyus'''''. [[Radiocarbon]] dates indicate that they may have survived until around 1300–1620 [[Common Era|CE]]. [[Madagascar|Malagasy]] legends of the ''[[Subfossil lemur#Lingering populations|tretretretre]]'' or ''tratratratra'' are thought to refer to ''P. ingens''.

Evidence suggests a solely [[arboreal locomotion|arboreal]] lifestyle with frequent upside down suspension, hence the name sloth lemur.<ref name="Godfrey">{{cite journal |author1=Godfrey, Laurie R. |author2=William L. Jungers. |title=The extinct sloth lemurs of Madagascar |journal=Evolutionary Anthropology |volume=12 |issue=6 |year=2003 |pages=252–263 |doi=10.1002/evan.10123| s2cid=4834725 }}</ref>

==Anatomy==
[[File:Palaeopropithecus maximus skull 5.JPG|thumb|left|''P. maximus'' skull]] 
''Palaeopropithecus'' primarily lived in the trees to stay away from predators as well as to gain valuable resources. To survive properly in the trees, ''Palaeopropithecus'' had long and powerful arms and legs, each with significantly long fingers and toes to allow them to hang upside down on branches. These were used to swing from branch to branch to travel across the jungle of Madagascar. These long arms made it much easier to grab hold of various trees and branches, making travel at the arboreal level easier. Laurie Godrey states in "The Extinct Sloth Lemurs of Madagascar", "Thus, these animals exhibit the odd behavioral combination of being both specialized leapers and adept climbers and hangers."<ref name="Godfrey" /> The long arms of ''Palaeopropithecus'' had hook like extremities on their hands and feet. This benefited ''Palaeopropithecus'' by enabling them to hook their bodies onto the foliage to stabilize themselves as they traversed through the trees. ''Palaeopropithecus'' on average weighed between {{convert|100|lb}}-{{convert|120|lb}}.<ref>{{Cite web |title=Sloth Lemur |publisher=American Museum of Natural History |url=http://www.amnh.org/science/biodiversity/extinction/Resources/Bestiary/Primates.html |access-date=2005-11-18 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20130223032252/http://www.amnh.org/science/biodiversity/extinction/Resources/Bestiary/Primates.html |archive-date=2013-02-23 |url-status=dead }}</ref> This weight is heavier than most modern lemurs and could potentially have caused the species to fall while hanging on branches, forcing the species to make sufficient use of their long arms and legs to survive.<ref name="gommery">Gommery, Dominique. "New Extinct Lemur Species Discovered in Madagascar." Phys.org. CNRS, France, 26 May 2009. Retrieved 21 October 2012.<http://phys.org/news162565443.html>.</ref> ''Palaeopropithecus'' eating habits were different from those of modern lemurs. The teeth of Palaeoprophithecus indicate that the animal was folivorous to eat leaves and tougher so they can eat hard foods such as nuts and seeds. This helped them fill out a generalized niche where they had multiple food resources to rely on.{{citation needed|date=October 2012}}

The anatomy of their bones were generally curved with a sixty-degree bend on major bones in the legs and arms. These bones were much denser than normal and with the addition of the curved structure of the bones it allowed ''Palaeopropithecus'' an easier capability to swing from branch to branch. This "curvature indicates that the sloth lemurs are one of the most suspensory clades of mammals ever to evolve.<ref name=pmid11038588>{{cite journal |last1=Jungers |first1=William L. |last2=Godfrey |first2=Laurie R. |last3=Simons |first3=Elwyn L. |last4=Chatrath |first4=Prithijit S. |title=Phalangeal curvature and positional behavior in extinct sloth lemurs (Primates, Palaeopropithecidae) |journal=Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences |date=28 October 1997 |volume=94 |issue=22 |pages=11998–12001 |doi=10.1073/pnas.94.22.11998 |pmid=11038588 |pmc=23681 |bibcode=1997PNAS...9411998J |doi-access=free }}</ref> The curved bones also helped them gain more torque and speed allowing, them to reach branches at great distances. The relatively small body of ''Palaeopropithecus'', while large compared to the modern lemur, had a great degree curve because it was smaller in stature. There is an inverse relationship between the bigger the animal and the smaller the bone degree curve.<ref name=pmid11038588/>

Biomechanical theory suggests that bone curvature in ''Palaeopropithecus'' hand bones is linked to the functional demands of the organism's environment. This is because curved phalanges, such as the phalanges of ''Palaeopropithecus'', are commonly associated with the gripping function needed to survive in an arboreal habitat.<ref name=pmid11038588/>

==Diet==
[[File:Palaeopropithecus_ingens.jpg|thumb|left|Artist's reconstruction of ''Palaeopropithecus ingens'']]
The ''Palaeopropithecus'' species were probably folivorous based on dental morphology,<ref name="Fleagle">Fleagle, J.G. 1988. Primate Adaptation and Evolution. Academic Press: New York. {{ISBN|0122603419}}</ref> consuming a mixed diet of foliage and fruit to varying degrees.<ref name="diet">{{cite journal |last1=Godfrey |first1=Laurie R. |last2=Semprebon |first2=Gina M. |last3=Jungers |first3=William L. |last4=Sutherland |first4=Michael R. |last5=Simons |first5=Elwyn L. |last6=Solounias |first6=Nikos |year=2004 |title=Dental use wear in extinct lemurs: evidence of diet and niche differentiation |journal=Journal of Human Evolution |volume=47 |issue=3| pages=145–169 |doi=10.1016/j.jhevol.2004.06.003 |pmid=15337413|bibcode=2004JHumE..47..145G }}</ref> They supplemented their leaf-eating with substantial amounts of seed-predation, much like modern indrids.<ref>{{cite journal |last1=Rafferty |first1=K.L. |last2=Teaford |first2=M.F. |last3=Jungers |first3=W.L. |year=2002 |title=Molar microwear of subfossil lemurs: improving the resolution of dietary inferences |journal=Journal of Human Evolution |volume=43 |issue=5| pages=645–657 |doi=10.1006/jhev.2002.0592 |pmid=12457853|bibcode=2002JHumE..43..645R }}</ref><ref>D.Gommery et al., C.R. Palevol, vol 8 (5), July–August 2009. http://phys.org/news162565443.html</ref> There is also no molar use wear evidence that ''Palaeopropithecus'' relied on terrestrial foods (C4 grasses, tubers, rhizomes).<ref name ="diet" />

''P. ingens'' faced weaning early on and lost their deciduous teeth early. After a little over a month they learned and were able to forage for solid food much earlier than other lemur species. More than likely ''P. ingens'' had to find food for themselves at an early age. The degree to how much of their diet consisted of seeds is somewhat uncertain but because of the pitting of the teeth it is clear they ate seeds.<ref>{{Cite journal |title=The secrets of lemur teeth |journal=Evolutionary Anthropology: Issues, News, and Reviews |date=2006-07-01 |issn=1520-6505 |pages=142–154 |volume=15 |issue=4 |doi=10.1002/evan.20102 |first1=Laurie R. |last1=Godfrey |first2=Gary T. |last2=Schwartz |first3=Karen E. |last3=Samonds |first4=William L. |last4=Jungers |first5=Kierstin K. |last5=Catlett |s2cid=55228925}}</ref> ''Palaeopropithecus ingens'' and ''P. maximus'' have similar use-wear scars. These were apparently mixed fruit and foliage consumers; neither species appears to have been a hard-object specialist.<ref name ="diet" /><ref>{{Cite journal |title=Dental use wear in extinct lemurs: evidence of diet and niche differentiation |journal=Journal of Human Evolution |date=2004-09-01 |pages=145–169 |volume=47 |issue=3 |doi=10.1016/j.jhevol.2004.06.003 |first1=Laurie R. |last1=Godfrey |first2=Gina M. |last2=Semprebon |first3=William L. |last3=Jungers |first4=Michael R. |last4=Sutherland |first5=Elwyn L. |last5=Simons |first6=Nikos |last6=Solounias |pmid=15337413|bibcode=2004JHumE..47..145G }}</ref>

''P. kelyus'' had smaller teeth than the other two species. Its dental characteristics could be described from the ''P. kelyus'' subfossil maxilla fragmentshowing a parastyle and a highly developed mesostyle. While other ''Palaeopropithecus'' must have fed on leaves and fruit, the differences in the teeth of ''Palaeopropithecus kelyus'' suggest that this animal could chew much more food like nuts and seeds compared with the other two known species. Evidence is accumulating that they may survive on low quality (that is highly fibrous) staple or fallback foods and a life-history "strategy" of low maternal input and slow returns in an unpredictable and periodically stressful environment.<ref name="Godfrey" /> ''Palaeopropithecus'' was the most suspensory of all known strepsirhines, and so they would feed in suspensory postures.<ref name="Fleagle" /> Locomotion on the ground would have been ungainly, and probably quite rare, except to creep across the ground from one feeding tree to the next when presented with gaps in the forest canopy. Their large, hook-like claws were not optimal for walking.<ref>{{Cite journal |title=Paleoenvironment of Ankilitelo Cave (late Holocene, southwestern Madagascar): implications for the extinction of giant lemurs |journal=Journal of Human Evolution |date=2010-04-01 |pages=338–352 |volume=58 |issue=4 |doi=10.1016/j.jhevol.2010.01.005 |first=Kathleen M. |last=Muldoon |pmid=20226497|bibcode=2010JHumE..58..338M }}</ref>

==Behavior==
''Palaeopropithecus'' likely had a very active behavior based on the morphology of the limbs. It engaged in hanging upside down from all four limbs in a sloth-like posture at a high frequency, as indicated by the morphology of the lumbar vertebrae<ref>{{Cite journal |title=Lumbar vertebral morphology of flying, gliding, and suspensory mammals: Implications for the locomotor behavior of the subfossil lemurs Palaeopropithecus and Babakotia |last=Granatosky |first=Michael C. |date=October 2014 |journal=Journal of Human Evolution |doi=10.1016/j.jhevol.2014.06.011 |pmid=25216795 |volume=75 |pages=40–52|bibcode=2014JHumE..75...40G }}</ref> and the high degree of phalangeal curvature.<ref name=pmid11038588/> It is regarded as being among the most suspensory clades of mammals ever to evolve.<ref name=pmid11038588/>

==Extinction==
When ''Palaeopropithecus'' became extinct is not exactly clear, however scientists have suggested that it could be as recent as about four hundred years ago.<ref name ="edge">http://www.edgeofexistence.org Sloth lemur or tretretretre (''Palaeopropithecus ingens''), Baillie, Jonathan (Edge of Existence Team), 10/23/12, http://www.edgeofexistence.org/mammals/species_info.php?id=543 {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20131109133838/http://www.edgeofexistence.org/mammals/species_info.php?id=543 |date=2013-11-09 }}</ref> The reason behind the extinction of the several species of ''Palaeopropithecus'' has been attributed to the presence of humans to the island of Madagascar, the earliest evidence of which dates back to 2325±43 yr BP.<ref name ="edge" /> Scientists have found fossils of ''Palaeopropithecus'' that appeared to have cut marks in them, suggesting flesh removal with a sharp object, indicating that the species was hunted by the earliest colonists to the island of Madagascar as a source for food.<ref name="evidence">{{cite journal |last1=Perez |first1=Ventura R. |last2=Godfrey |first2=Laurie R. |last3=Nowak-Kemp |first3=Malgosia |last4=Burney |first4=David A. |last5=Ratsimbazafy |first5=Jonah |last6=Vasey |first6=Natalia |title=Evidence of early butchery of giant lemurs in Madagascar |journal=Journal of Human Evolution |volume=49 |issue=6| pages=722–742 |doi=10.1016/j.jhevol.2005.08.004 |pmid=16225904 |date=December 2005|bibcode=2005JHumE..49..722P }}</ref> The first evidence of the early human butchery to ''Palaeopropithecus'' was found by Hon. [[Paul Ayshford Methuen, 4th Baron Methuen|Paul Ayshford Methuen]], in 1911, who traveled to Madagascar expressly to collect bones of the extinct lemurs for the Oxford Museum.<ref name="Godfrey" /> The slow locomotion habits of ''Palaeopropithecus'' likely made them an easy target for their human predators, who would consume them for food, as well as use the bones for tools.<ref name ="edge" /> Along with being relatively large, these lemurs became targets because they were active during the day as were humans. Along with their diurnal nature, another factor that led to their extinction was a slow reproductive rate. They were killed faster than they could reproduce.<ref name="Burney 25–63">{{Cite journal |title=A chronology for late prehistoric Madagascar|journal=Journal of Human Evolution |date=2004-07-01 |pages=25–63 |volume=47 |issue=1–2 |doi=10.1016/j.jhevol.2004.05.005 |first1=David A |last1=Burney |first2=Lida Pigott |last2=Burney |first3=Laurie R |last3=Godfrey |first4=William L |last4=Jungers |first5=Steven M |last5=Goodman |first6=Henry T |last6=Wright |first7=A. J. Timothy |last7=Jull |pmid=15288523|bibcode=2004JHumE..47...25B }}</ref>

The introduction of humans to Madagascar brought change to an island that had yet to experience the lifestyles of human beings. Some believe that hunting was not the only problem brought to Madagascar by humans. There is a possibility that humans bringing over livestock may have affected some species. Although it would not have been disastrous, it could have finished off some species. Just a small amount of competition could offset the balance of an ecosystem.<ref name="Burney 25–63"/>

Also, the introduction of man-made charcoal and fire to the island caused considerable damage to the forests where ''Palaeopropithecus'' lived and bred.<ref name="Godfrey" /> Based on radiocarbon dating, it was found that ''Palaeopropithecus'' survived into the last millennium. While human intervention definitely damaged their populations and their habitats, the extinction of ''Palaeopropithecus'' occurred comparatively recently.<ref>{{cite journal |last1=Godfrey |first1=Laurie R. |last2=Jungers |first2=William L. |title=The extinct sloth lemurs of Madagascar |journal=Evolutionary Anthropology: Issues, News, and Reviews |date=24 November 2003 |volume=12 |issue=6 |pages=252–263 |doi=10.1002/evan.10123 |citeseerx=10.1.1.403.6696 |s2cid=4834725 }}</ref>

==Miscellaneous==
There were three known species of ''Palaeopropithecus'': ''Palaeopropithecus ingens'', ''Palaeopropithecus maximus'', and ''Palaeopropithecus kelyus''. ''Palaeopropithecus ingens'' is thought to also be the mythical Malagasy creature known as the Tretretre, or the alternate name of Tratratra.<ref name="Godfrey" /> According to new radiocarbon dates, ''Palaeopropithecus'' may have still been alive at 1500CE. However, Yale biologists who extracted DNA from the bones and teeth of 9 subfossil individuals from ''Palaeopropithecus'' state that all the giant lemurs analyzed died well over 1,000 years ago. Another thing they confirmed was that there is a close relationship between the sloth lemurs and currently living indrids. For example, ''Palaeopropithecus'' were born with highly developed teeth, just like indrids.<ref name ="gommery" />

==References==
{{Reflist}}

==External links==
* [http://www.animalbase.uni-goettingen.de/zooweb/servlet/AnimalBase/home/species?id=630 AnimalBase : Palaeopropithecus ingens species homepage]
* [https://web.archive.org/web/20130223032252/http://www.amnh.org/science/biodiversity/extinction/Resources/Bestiary/Primates.html#SlothLemur AMNH Bestiary]
* [http://www.livescience.com/animals/090528-giant-lemur.html New Giant Lemur Species Discovered, ''Palaeopropithecus kelyus'']

{{Strepsirrhini|L.}}
{{Taxonbar|from=Q134792}}

[[Category:Subfossil lemurs]]
[[Category:Lemur genera|†Palaeopropithecus]]
[[Category:Prehistoric primate genera]]
[[Category:Prehistoric animals of Madagascar]]
[[Category:Fossil taxa described in 1899]]
[[Category:Holocene extinctions]]
[[Category:Taxa named by Guillaume Grandidier]]