Teeth reveal gorilla ancestor clue

Teeth belonging to a previously unknown great ape that lived 10 million years ago have been discovered in Africa.

Scientists believe the creature, named Chororapithecus abyssinicus, was an early form of gorilla.

If they are correct, it implies that the ancestors of modern humans and African great apes split and embarked on different evolutionary paths much earlier than had been thought.

The fossils were found in Afar rift region of Ethiopia, about 170 kilometres east of Addis Ababa, in exposed patches of sediment.

Writing in the journal Nature, scientists led by Dr Gen Suwa from Tokyo University Museum in Japan, said the teeth closely resembled those of a modern gorilla.

Dr Suwa said: "We've compared it with everything we could think of, and it does show some telling signs of gorilla-like structure.

"If it's not a gorilla relative, then it's something very similar to what an early gorilla must have looked like."

The human fossil record dates back to six or seven million years, but how the human line emerged from apes remains a mystery.

The discovery of Chororapithecus may offer some clues. It indicates that gorillas split from the evolutionary line leading to chimpanzees and humans more than 10 million years ago.

Previous DNA studies have suggested that gorillas emerged as early as eight million years ago and humans around five or six million years ago. These estimates may now have to be revised.

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