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The Ape in the Tree: An Intellectual and Natural History of Proconsul
This book offers a unique insider's perspective on the unfolding discovery of a crucial link in our evolution: "Proconsul," a fossil ape named whimsically after a performing chimpanzee called Consul.
"The Ape in the Tree" is written in the voice of Alan Walker, whose involvement with "Proconsul" began when his graduate supervisor analyzed the tree-climbing adaptations in the arm and hand of this extinct creature. Today, Proconsul is the best-known fossil ape in the world.
The history of ideas is set against the vivid adventures of Walker's fossil-hunting expeditions in remote regions of Africa, where the team met with violent thunderstorms, dangerous wildlife, and people isolated from the Western world. Analysis of the thousands of new "Proconsul" specimens they recovered provides revealing glimpses of the life of this last common ancestor between apes and humans.
The attributes of "Proconsul" have profound implications for the very definition of humanness. This book speaks not only of an ape in a tree but also of the ape in our tree.
"The Ape in the Tree" is written in the voice of Alan Walker, whose involvement with "Proconsul" began when his graduate supervisor analyzed the tree-climbing adaptations in the arm and hand of this extinct creature. Today, Proconsul is the best-known fossil ape in the world.
The history of ideas is set against the vivid adventures of Walker's fossil-hunting expeditions in remote regions of Africa, where the team met with violent thunderstorms, dangerous wildlife, and people isolated from the Western world. Analysis of the thousands of new "Proconsul" specimens they recovered provides revealing glimpses of the life of this last common ancestor between apes and humans.
The attributes of "Proconsul" have profound implications for the very definition of humanness. This book speaks not only of an ape in a tree but also of the ape in our tree.
312 pages, Hardcover
First published April 15, 2005
36 people want to read
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Displaying 1 - 4 of 4 reviews
September 6, 2020
Great book overall with detailed historical descriptions of the discovery and research surrounding Proconsul and other Miocene hominoids. Lots of exciting adventures, stories of fieldwork, but also really good review of all the science and problems the researchers had to tackle (from logistics in the field to theory in the academic world). Essential reading for those interested in hominin origins.
November 27, 2018
According to the preface, while this book is written in the first person viewpoint of Alan Walker, it is mainly written by his wife, Pat Shipman. For most of the book, it follows a chronological order covering the history of the "digs", beginning with the discovery of the first Proconsul fossil and continuing through Louis Leakey's and Walker's own excavations. For a while, Proconsul was considered to be a subgroup of the European dryopithecines, but then was reinstated as a separate group; I would have liked more information about how the two groups differ and what their actual relationship may have been. It then passes on to more detail about the teeth and bones and what the studies reveal about the nature of the genus.
Proconsul, as far as is known today (or at least as of 2005), consists of four species, P. africanus, the original discovery, P. heseloni, a very similar species which is the best known, especially from the sites on Rusinga Island in Lake Victoria, the somewhat larger P. nyanzae, and the largest and least well-known, P. major. It is a "stem-ape", from about 20-17 million years ago, after the split-off of the apes from the Old World monkeys but well before the split between the lines leading to the lesser and great apes of today. It seems to have been an arboreal quadruped, probably a frugivore, with some "monkey-like" attributes (e.g. a flexible backbone), some already "ape-like" attributes (e.g. lack of a tail and no ischeal pads) and many attributes which are in between modern monkeys and apes, but moving in the direction of the apes (e.g. a slower rate of maturation). Contrary to what was originally thought, it has few if any adaptations for brachiation. The book then sketches a brief speculative history of the evolution of the apes.
Written in 2005, this is more recent than most of what I have read on primate evolution, but fourteen years is still a long time in a science that is constantly developing so undoubtedly some of the conclusions here have already been modified.
Proconsul, as far as is known today (or at least as of 2005), consists of four species, P. africanus, the original discovery, P. heseloni, a very similar species which is the best known, especially from the sites on Rusinga Island in Lake Victoria, the somewhat larger P. nyanzae, and the largest and least well-known, P. major. It is a "stem-ape", from about 20-17 million years ago, after the split-off of the apes from the Old World monkeys but well before the split between the lines leading to the lesser and great apes of today. It seems to have been an arboreal quadruped, probably a frugivore, with some "monkey-like" attributes (e.g. a flexible backbone), some already "ape-like" attributes (e.g. lack of a tail and no ischeal pads) and many attributes which are in between modern monkeys and apes, but moving in the direction of the apes (e.g. a slower rate of maturation). Contrary to what was originally thought, it has few if any adaptations for brachiation. The book then sketches a brief speculative history of the evolution of the apes.
Written in 2005, this is more recent than most of what I have read on primate evolution, but fourteen years is still a long time in a science that is constantly developing so undoubtedly some of the conclusions here have already been modified.
January 31, 2025
This was a great book about paleontology as well as a great Miocene ape book. Proconsul and its kin feature heavily in our understanding of early private development. Definitely worth the read for those who like paleontology, evolution, and adventure.
August 5, 2018
This is an interesting book that covers a lot of science, a lot of fieldwork, and a lot of careers. The book is not only about what it's like uncovering various fossils in Kenya, it's also about what paleontologists and their friends do to learn things about these ancient animals.
The first third of the book describes the backstory of this particular ape, proconsul, up till the time the author's career in paleontology starts. Then the middle part has quite a bit of description of what it's like in the field uncovering fossils. The last third gets more technical and describes analysis scientists can do to learn about the life-histories of animals like proconsul.
The first third of the book describes the backstory of this particular ape, proconsul, up till the time the author's career in paleontology starts. Then the middle part has quite a bit of description of what it's like in the field uncovering fossils. The last third gets more technical and describes analysis scientists can do to learn about the life-histories of animals like proconsul.
Displaying 1 - 4 of 4 reviews