Another genus known from the Miocene era is Sivapithecus (12.5 – 8.5 mya), found in India. Pakistan and Nepal. Sivapithecus shares a number of derived traits with the modern orangutan (Pongo pygmaeus) relative to the other members of the Hominoidea.  It appears that lineage that became orangutans split from the other Miocene hominoids first.  Sivapthecus looks quite similar to Orangutans in the skull, but aspects of the post cranial skeleton suggest that it was more terrestrial than modern Orangutans.

Examine the following specimens to explore the relationship between Sivapithecus and living hominoids.

Questions: 

Based on what we know about primate teeth, and in comparison to the human and ape specimens, what might  Proconsul’s diet have been like?

Based on the same, what do the size of Proconsul’s canines indicate about its social structure?

In comparison to Proconsul’s teeth, what do Sivapithecus’s teeth and temporal fossa indicate about its diet?