Feeding ecology of the last European colobine monkey, Dolichopithecus ruscinensis
Résumé
Currently, very little is known about the ecology of extinct Eurasian cercopithecids. Dietary information
is crucial in understanding the ecological adaptations and diversity of extinct cercopithecids and the
evolution of this family. For example, the colobine genus Dolichopithecus is represented by multiple
large-bodied species that inhabited Eurasia during the Pliocene-Early Pleistocene. The available evidence,
though limited, suggests semiterrestrial locomotion, which contrasts with most extant African and Asian
colobines that exhibit morphological and physiological adaptations for arboreality and folivory. These
differences raise questions regarding the dietary specialization of early colobine taxa and how/if that
influenced their dispersion out of Africa and into Eurasia. To further our understanding of the ecology of
Plio-Pleistocene cercopithecids, we characterized the dental capabilities and potential dietary adaptations
of Dolichopithecus ruscinensis through dental topographic and enamel thickness analyses on an M1
from the locality of Serrat d'en Vacquer, Perpignan (France). We also assessed the feeding behavior of
D. ruscinensis through dental microwear texture analysis on a broad sample of fossil molars from fossil
sites in France, Greece, Bulgaria, and Romania. Dental topographic and enamel thickness analyses suggest
that D. ruscinensis could efficiently process a wide range of foods. Results of the dental microwear texture
analysis suggest that its diet ranged from folivory to the consumption of more mechanically challenging
foods. Collectively, this suggests a more opportunistic feeding behavior for Dolichopithecus than characteristic
of most extant colobines.