Gorilla

Evolution
 Evolution of the Gorilla
Over millions of years, ancestors of the gorilla evolved and eventually, modern
gorillas begun to inhabit the earth.
Saadanius

Last known ape-monkey ancestor

29 million year old partial skull found in

Saudi Arabia

Has both ape and monkey features

Has a bony ear tube that was developing

(Can be seen in later evolutions)

Herbivore

http://www.nature.com/news/2010/100714/full
Rukwapithecus

Earliest apes to split from old-world

monkeys

No more tail

Lived about 23 Million years ago

Mandible and teeth found in the East

African Rift

Shows geographic isolation may have

caused monkeys & apes to split because of
the rifting
Nyanzapithecus

13 million year old skull found in Northern

Kenya

Last common ancestor between the great

apes (humans, gorillas, chimps) and the
lesser apes (gibbons)

Skull found was from an infant

Different skull structure

http://news.nationalgeographic.com/2017/08/f
ossil-ape-skull-nyanzapithecus-kenya-africa-
Nakalipithecus
Lived around 10 million years ago

Latest known common ancestor of

humans, chimps, and gorillas

11 teeth and jawbone found in Kenyas Rift

Valley

Ate hard foods (seeds or nuts)

https://alchetron.com/Nakalipithecus-3774455-
W
Chororapithecus

Lived from 8-11 million years ago

Earliest known species of the Gorillini

tribe

Mostly ate high-fiber plants (stems &

leaves)

Very similar structure to modern-day

gorillas

Direct ancestor to modern gorillas

Gorilla

Has a vestigial tail

Eastern Gorillas and Western Gorillas split

due to the Ice Age shrinking their forest
habitats and separating the species

Bigger and stronger

Lost the ability to swing among the trees

Have existed from as early as 8 million

years ago-present day
THE END