2013/11/14 by Edouard‐Georges Emonet, Andossa Likius, Hassane Taïsso Mackaye +1 · 4 citations
Social Sciences · Earth and Planetary Sciences · Psychology · #Pleistocene-Era Hominins and Archaeology #Evolution and Paleontology Studies #Primate Behavior and Ecology
paper · doi:10.1002/ajpa.22400
openalex publication_date 2013/11/14 · openalex created_date 2025/10/10 · openalex updated_date 2026/07/23
The evolution of the teeth in hominins is characterized by, among other characters, major changes in root morphology. However, little is known of the evolution from a plesiomorphic, ape-like root morphology to the crown hominin morphology. Here we present a study of the root morphology of the Miocene Chadian hominin Sahelanthropus tchadensis and its comparison to other hominins. The morphology of the whole lower dentition (I1 -M3 ) was investigated and described. The comparison with the species Ardipithecus kaddaba and Ardipithecus ramidus indicates a global homogeneity of root morphology in early hominins. This morphology, characterized notably by a reduction of the size and number of the roots of premolars, is a composite between an ape-like morphology and the later hominin morphology. Trends for root evolution in hominins are proposed, including the transition from a basal hominoid to extant Homo sapiens. This study also illustrates the low association between the evolution of tooth root morphology and the evolution of crowns in hominins.