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La dichotomie grands singes–homme revisitée

Brigitte SENUT & Martin PICKFORD

fr Comptes Rendus Palevol 3 (4) - Pages 265-276

Published on 31 July 2004

This article is a part of the thematic issue The first hominids

The dichotomy between African apes and humans revisited

The dichotomy between the great apes and humans evinces intense debate internationally. For the past dozen years and more, discoveries have multiplied, notably in Africa (Ardipithecus, Orrorin and Sahelanthropus) which have permitted reassessment of older discoveries such as Otavipithecus, Samburupithecus and Kenyapithecus. It now seems that the ancestor of our lineage lived in Africa, where the oldest evidence of human-like bipedalism has been demonstrated at about 6 Ma, and that it occupied a relatively humid environment


Keywords:

Ardipithecus, Orrorin, Otavipithecus, Sahelanthropus, Upper Miocene, Africa

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