Question

Name given to fossil hominid of Shivalik hills in india is
A) Ramapithecus
B) Australopithecus
C) Pithecanthropus
D) Indricotherium

Answer 1

Hint:
i) The generic name literally means the legendary prince who is the hero of the Indian epic poem, Rama's ape 'Rama. The name of the species that Lewis chose was more meaningful because it is the 'short snouted' Latin term.
ii) The primary explanation for assigning the real hominid status a name is the resemblance of its teeth to those of the later hominids.

Complete answer:
One of the best known and most comprehensive of any mammal is the hominid fossil record. This was the result of an intense quest for suitable fossils, of the extremely favorable taphonomic conditions in East and South Africa, and of the abnormally demographically active early hominids.

Option A. Ramapithecus: The most significant hominid from the Miocene period is Ramapithecus.
In recent years, several researchers have accepted Ramapithecus as the first genuine hominid. There are at least two dozen collections of fossils known as belonging to Ramapithecus. Most of these specimens consist of teeth and jaws and come primarily from two places, the Siwalik Hills in India and Kenya's Fort Ternan. The resemblance of its teeth with those of the later hominids is the key explanation for granting Ramapithecus a true hominid status.

Ramapithecus' Anatomical Features –
-Vertically, incisors and canine are inserted and not in a slight procumbent position as in primates.
-Little canine diastema, or no.
-There are no projections of the Ramapithecus canines and they have narrow ears.
-Their first remains were discovered in Punjab and later in Africa and Saudi Arabia from the Shivalik range. They lived in grasslands that were open.
-Two pieces of proof affirm their position as Hominids:
-Tooth enamel thickened, jaws sturdy, and canines shorter.
-Usage of hands for food and protection, and upright posture extrapolations.
-Hence, this option is correct.

Option B. Australopithecus: Australopithecus, a group of extinct primates closely related to modern human beings, if not necessarily ancestors of them and known from a collection of fossils found in various locations in eastern, north-central, and southern Africa. Australopithecus is a genus of hominids that from about 4.2 million years ago lived in Africa. In the Australopithecus genus, the Paranthropus, Kenyanthropus, and Homo genera, including modern humans, evolved. The name given to the fossil hominid from the Shivalik hills in India is not Australopithecus. Hence, this option is incorrect.

Option C. Pithecanthropus: Some fossil hominids discovered in Java in 1891 were referred to by an earlier genus name. The first Homo Erectus fossil was discovered in 1891 in Java. They were named Erectus Pithecanthropus. These were regarded as the missing link between the man and the apes. The Peking man was another discovery made in China. It is assumed that this specimen had large cranial capacities and lived in villages. Homo erectus used tools that included quartz. Also, tools made of bones and wood were found. Evidence of communal hunting exists. Evidence of the use of fire is also available. It is suspected that Homo Erectus lives in caves. Pithecanthropus is not the name given to the fossil hominid of the hills of Shivalik in India. Hence, this option is incorrect.

Option D. Indricotherium: An extinct genus of giraffidae is Indricotherium. It was first named in 1910 by Pilgrim. The name of the fossil hominid of Shivalik Hills in India is not indicotherium. Hence, this option is incorrect. Name given to the fossil hominid of Shivalik hills in India is Ramapithecus.

Hence, Option A. Ramapithecus is the correct answer.

Note: The first Ramapithecus fossil discovery was made by G.E. Lewis, in the Siwalik hills of India in 1932. He assigned a new genus and species he called Ramapithecus brevirostris to one of the fossils, the upper jaw. A species of extinct apes, Sivapithecus (Shiva's Ape) (syn: Ramapithecus).