SEXUAL DIMORPHISM IN THE EARLY MIOCENE SPECIES OF PROCONSUL FROM THE KISINGIRI FORMATION OF EAST-AFRICA - A MORPHOMETRIC EXAMINATION USING MULTIVARIATE-STATISTICS

This paper examines the pattern(s) of sexual dimorphism within the upper dentition of Proconsul specimens from the early Miocene of east Africa. These fossils are compared against the corresponding dentition of Pan troglodytes and Gorilla gorilla using principal components and cluster analyses. This paper demonstrates that both sexes of Pan and Gorilla are characterized by their own distinctive shape patterns. It is also demonstrated that some Proconsul specimens examined here display a pattern that is dissimilar from other Proconsul specimens also examined. This suggests that at least two species of Proconsul may have to be recognized as having lived in this region during the early Miocene. The identification of distinct patterns within Proconsul also suggests that their overall shape and size range are more similar to Pan than to Gorilla.