Abnormal Fossil Upper Molar of Pongo from Thailand: Quaternary Climatic Changes in Southeast Asia as a Possible Cause

Authors: Tougard C.; Ducrocq S.

Source: International Journal of Primatology, Volume 20, Number 4, August 1999 , pp. 599-607(9)

Publisher: Springer

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Abstract:

We interpret an unusual left M³ attributed to Pongo from the Late Middle Pleistocene of Thailand to be an abnormal tooth rather than a supernumerary molar. Its peculiar morphology cannot be related to classical known causes that affect the dental germ: Gemination, schizodontia, synodontia. The ontogenic mechanism that might have led to the morphology of the tooth perhaps reflects stress related to a phase of marked climatic changes during the Late Middle Pleistocene in Southeast Asia.

Keywords: Orangutan; Pongo; dental anomalies; Thailand; Southeast Asia; Quaternary

Language: English

Document Type: Research article

Affiliations: 1: Institut des Sciences de l'Evolution, UMR 5554 CNRS, Place E. Bataillon, Case Courrier 064, Université Montpellier II, F-34095 Montpellier cedex 5, France

Publication date: 1999-08-01