Rudapithecus is a chimpanzee-like[2] genus of ape which inhabited Europe during the Late Miocene, approximately 10 million years ago. One species is known, Rudapithecus hungaricus.[3][4] The genus name "Rudapithecus" comes from where it was discovered, in Rudabánya, Northern Hungary in 1965 and sent to Budapest in 1967.[2] The specific name "hungaricus" refers to the country where it was discovered, in Hungary.

Rudapithecus
Temporal range: Miocene
Scientific classification Edit this classification
Domain: Eukaryota
Kingdom: Animalia
Phylum: Chordata
Class: Mammalia
Order: Primates
Suborder: Haplorhini
Infraorder: Simiiformes
Family: Hominidae
Subfamily: Homininae
Tribe: Dryopithecini
Genus: Rudapithecus
Kretzoi, 1969
Species:
R. hungaricus
Binomial name
Rudapithecus hungaricus
Kretzoi, 1969[1]

Rudapithecus probably moved among branches like modern apes do now, holding its body upright, and climbing trees with its arms. Rudapithecus hungaricus differed from modern great apes by having a more flexible lumbar, which indicates when Rudapithecus came down to the ground, it might have had the ability to stand upright like humans do. Modern Gorilla, Pan, and Pongo have a long pelvis, and a short lumbar because they are very large animals, which is why they usually walk on all fours. Humans have a longer, more flexible lumbar, which allow humans to stand upright, and walk efficiently on two legs. It is known that Rudapithecus had a more flexible torso than today's apes, because it was much smaller, about the size of a medium-sized dog.[5]

References[6]

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  1. ^ Laszlo Kordos (1987). "Description and reconstruction of the skull of Rudapithecus hungaricus Kretzoi (Mammalia)". Annales Musei historico-naturalis hungarici. 79. Hungarian Natural History Museum. ISSN 0521-4726. Retrieved 5 August 2017.
  2. ^ a b László Kordos: 50 years of Rudapithecus (in Hungarian)
  3. ^ University of Missouri (17 September 2019). "Rare 10 million-year-old fossil unearths new view of human evolution". Phys.org. Retrieved 17 September 2019.
  4. ^ Begun, David (2009). "Dryopithecins, Darwin, de Bonis, and the European origin of the African apes and human clade". Geodiversitas. 3 (1): 789–816. doi:10.5252/g2009n4a789. S2CID 131688092.
  5. ^ "Rare 10 million-year-old fossil unearths new view of human evolution // Show Me Mizzou // University of Missouri". showme.missouri.edu. Retrieved 2020-11-02.
  6. ^ "Rudapithecus of Rudabánya, Hungary". Hungarian Spectrum. 2009-08-16. Retrieved 2020-10-22.