ABSTRACT
Fossils belonging to the Middle Miocene primate Ramapithecus had been adopted by the paleontological community as the exclusive hominid ancestor by the early 1970s. Many paleontologists were then willing to identify species of Proconsul as the exclusive ancestors of modern chimpanzees and gorillas. Ramapithecus was linked to later hominids, then primarily South African Australopithecus, by its relatively large postcanine dentition, its thinner enamel, and a series of other conjectures such as delayed maturation and bipedal locomotion.
