Introduction
- Lama ancient ape fossil location , also known as the Lufeng ancient ape fossil production area, is located on the south slope of Houmiao hillside of Shangshiliba Village, 9 kilometers north of Lufeng County, Chuxiong Yi Autonomous Prefecture, Yunnan Province.
- In 1956, the fossil site of the Rama ape was first discovered, and one skull of Siva ape was unearthed; three skulls of the Rama ape, and more than 30 upper and lower mandible fragments with several teeth; and more than 400 single teeth.
- The discovery of the fossil site of the Ramaus ape provides important information for studying the issue of human origin .
- On January 13, 1988, the fossil location of the Ramaus ape was announced by of the State Council of the People's Republic of China as the third batch of national key cultural relics protection units.
History Evolution
- Ramama ape lived in the early Pliocene.
- In 1975, the fossil site of the Ramacus ape was first discovered.
- 1980, a joint excavation team composed of Institute of Vertebrate Paleontology and Paleoanthropology of Chinese Academy of Sciences and Yunnan Provincial Museum conducted a field excavation of the fossil site of the Rama ape for more than two months. During the excavation process, a relatively rich fossil of the Rama ape, Siva ape and other animal fossils were collected;
- On December 1 of the same year, a joint excavation team composed of the Institute of Vertebrate Paleoanthropology of Chinese Academy of Sciences and the Yunnan Provincial Museum discovered a skull of the Rama ape (PA.676) in the middle of the sand layer of the G area of the Rama ape fossil site. This is the first discovery of in the world of .
- In May 1982, a joint excavation team composed of the Institute of Vertebrate Paleontology and Paleoanthropology of the Chinese Academy of Sciences and the Yunnan Provincial Museum discovered 1 anus 8 maxillary bone fossil (with 12 teeth) in the lignite seam of the Lama aus fossil site in the late Miocene.
Site Features
- There is a Xihe River from north to south on the west side of the fossil site of the Lama Ape, from north to south. Hexi is mainly distributed with the dark purple strata of the Mesozoic Jurassic; Hedong is mainly distributed with the pre-Sinian Kunyang Group strata. The surface of
- has a thick weathered crust. The lignite seam containing ancient ape fossils covers the Former Sinian Kunyang Group strata. The section is close to the south and north, with a length of about 50 meters and an exposed thickness of 5 meters.
Cultural Relics
except for a slightly larger size, its morphological characteristics are basically the same. It is the Lama Ape [3] and is named: Lama Ape Lufeng species.
lower molar
- lower left first molar is the first record of Xiaolongtan fossil point. The tooth crown is well preserved, the tooth root is broken, the tooth crown is slightly worn, the buccal tip wears deeper than the lingual tooth tip, the lower original tip and the next tip of the buccal tip are exposed, showing a small round pit.
Molar fossil
- lower left second sun tooth, with shallow wear and more obvious characteristics. There are two grooves on the posterior edge of the lower posterior tip, which are deeper and have a small tip.
Maxilla bone
- Maxilla bone is deformed due to being squeezed by coal seams, and the left and right jaws are slightly dislocated and stick together. The teeth on both sides are still attached to the jawbone, and the teeth are arranged basically normally, and 12 teeth are retained, namely the lateral incisor , canine teeth, first and second premolars and three molars on the left; the canine teeth on the right, first and second premolars and first and second molars on the right.
jaw bone fossil
- left outer compassion incisors, the side incisors are obliquely placed in the tooth, the crown is smaller, and the side visual crown is triangle. Mild wear, tooth tip smooth, tooth quality not exposed. Tongue nodules are well developed. There is a thick finger-like projection at the tongue surface from the crown to the central axis towards the tongue node, which divides the tongue surface into two concaves near and distant. The lip and tongue diameter is larger than the near and far diameter.
- canine teeth, one on the left and right. The crown and root of the tooth are completely preserved, the crown on the top is a rounded triangle, and the side is an isosceles triangle.
- first day teeth, one on the left and right. The crown and roots are well preserved. The crown surface is a rounded triangle. The cheeks are obviously wider than the tongue. The second premolar on
- , one on the left and right. The cheek on the left is broken on the outside, and the one on the right is well preserved. Mild wear. The first molar on
- , one on the left and right. Slightly slant abrasion, the wear of the lingual tip is greater than that of the buccal tip.The crown is an approximately square, with the near-meso-buccal and distal meslingual angles at right angles, and the near-meso-buccal and distal meslingual angles slightly blunt, so the crown is close to the rhombus. The second molar on
- , one on the left and right. The buccal and tongue diameter of the tooth crown is larger than the near-medium and far-medium diameter. The near-meso-buccal and distal meslingual angles of the tooth crown are sharper, while the near-meso-buccal and distal meslingual angles are round and blunt, so the tooth crown is rhombus. The third molar on
- is only one on the left. This tooth has a unique shape. The original tip increases, occupying about three-quarters of the tongue half, while the secondary tip shrinks greatly, accounting for about one-quarter of the tongue half. The posterior tip and the fifth tooth tip are close to the central axis, so the crown is an approximately triangle.
Research value
- The Lama ape has a very important position in the history of human ancestor evolution and is the first stage of human differentiation. The discovery of fossil sites of the Ramausa ape not only provides important information for studying the origin of human beings, but also adds new understanding of the properties of Neo-Territorial Mammals in South China. The discovery of the skull fossil of the
- Ramama ape fossil site shows that it is the middle representative of the evolution from ape to humans, has the morphological characteristics of early humans, belongs to the human family, and its survival era was in the early Pliocene 8 million years ago. The discovery of
- fossils fills an important gap between Kaiyuan Rama ape 15 million years ago and Yuanma 1.7 million years ago, and is of great significance for studying the status of ancient apes in the evolutionary system and the time and place of human origin.
History and Culture
Ancient Ape Culture
- Rama is the leader of the sacrifice of gods in the Indian Sanskrit epic "Ramayana".Rama is the original origin of mankind and synonymous with ancient and original ecology. Lufeng is one of the excavation sites of the Lama ape.
- On December 1, 1980, the Institute of Vertebrate Paleontology and Paleoanthropology of the Chinese Academy of Sciences and the Yunnan Provincial Museum formed a joint excavation team to unearth a skull of a Ramama ape, which was the first Ramama ape skull discovered in the world, which caused a sensation in the world.
- Engels called the Rama ape "the person that is forming."
- American graduate student Lewis was the first discoverer of the Rama ape. The discovery was in the Sivalik Mountains of India, in 1934.
- fossils of similar types have also been found in the fossils of Lufeng Ramausa in China, as well as the Anatolia region of Turkey and the Ludabaria mountainous areas of Hungary. Fossils mainly include upper and lower teeth.
- Lama apes mainly live in forest areas, and their main places of activity are the edges of the forest and the clearings in the forest. This is an ancient ape that is positively changing towards life in an open area.
- Wild fruits, tender grass and other plants are their important foods. At the same time, they also eat small animals, use stones as tools, and use them to smash open the animal bones and suck the bone marrow.
- Since the limbs of the ancient apes have not been discovered, people can only judge based on some knowledge about the ancient apes, and speculate that they are about 1 meter tall and weigh between 15 and 20 kilograms, and can initially walk upright with two feet.
#Yuntai Culture Treasure Hunt##Ancient Apes##Lufeng#
