Proconsul africanus skull, (14 to 23 million years)

The Proconsul africanus skull was discovered by Mary Leakey in 1948 on Rusinga Island, Kenya.  This specimen, based on the 1948 Leakey discovery, is the most complete Proconsul africanus cranium to date.  Alan Walker reclassified Proconsul africanus, a Miocene hominoid, as heseloni in 1993.  The skull is characterized by the absence of brow ridges (unlike in modern apes) and the presence of a projecting face.  Members of this genus are considered dental apes because their teeth possessed ape-like features.  Their teeth also indicate that they were primarily a fruit-eating species.  On the other hand, their limb skeletons share monkey-like features.  The evidence provided by a wide range of skeletal remains points toward considerable variation within the genus Proconsul, their body size extending from the size of a small monkey to a female gorilla.  They also inhabited a variety of environments from rain forests to open woodlands.

Stand available - see product code SBH023.

Model size: 12.5(L) x 7.5(W) x 10(H) cm

The Bone Clones® Hominid Series

Our aim is to provide the best possible facsimile models of the most important hominid finds for the general public, educators and students, using the best reference material available.  Each hominid has been carefully researched and re-created based on some or all of the following: casts of original fossils, the latest literature (descriptions and/or published measurements), input from the scientific community and full colour, life-size photographs.  Every effort has been made to accurately re-create anatomical details of colour, size, shape, reconstructed areas, and bone/fossil texture.  The hominids offered in this series are high quality, artistic recreations that can be advantageously used by educators as important visual aids in the classroom and appreciated by the general public.  They are not intended for advanced graduate work nor to be measured for research purposes.

(Information courtesy Bone Clones, Inc)