| Resumen: |
Nacholapithecus kerioi from the Middle Miocene (16-15 Ma) of the Aka Aitheputh Formation in Kenya is represented by abundant postcranial fossils. Their morphology suggests that the body plan of N. kerioi was similar to that of primitive apes, which do not specialize in suspensory locomotion, and that this taxon generally engaged in arboreal quadrupedalism (Nakatsukasa et al. , 1998, 2007; Ishida et al. , 2004; Nakatsukasa and Kunimatsu, 2009; Almécija et al. , 2021; Pina et al. , 2021; Pina and Nakatsukasa, 2024). However, some forelimb features suggest a derived locomotor pattern indicative of incipient forelimb dominance (Nakatsukasa et al. , 1998, 2004, 2007, 2012; Ishida et al. , 2004; Takano et al. , 2018, 2020). For example, KNM-BG 35250 has a bulbous and rounded humeral capitulum, which contributes to the stabilization of the elbow during protonation/supination movements (Ishida et al. , 2004; Takano et al. , 2018). Overall, N. kerioi may have mainly relied on cautious arboreal quadrupedalism, occasionally engaging in some kind(s) of antipronograde locomotor mode(s). |