A revolutionary Miocene discovery
In a clay pit in Bavaria, paleontologists unearthed fossils that altered our understanding of hominid locomotion. Between 2015 and 2018, a team led by Madelaine Böhme of the University of Tübingen excavated the remains of a previously unknown great ape from the Hammerschmiede clay pit near the town of Pforzen. Dated to 11.62 million years ago, during the Miocene epoch, the species was named Danuvius guggenmosi.
The discovery consists of 37 fossil specimens from at least four individuals—a male, two females, and a juvenile. The most complete skeleton, belonging to the male, allowed for an unprecedented reconstruction of its movement. This individual stood about one meter (3.3 feet) tall and weighed an estimated 31 kilograms (68 lbs), while the females were smaller, weighing between 17 and 19 kg. The body proportions are most similar to modern bonobos. The fossils include well-preserved limb bones, vertebrae, fingers, and toes, providing a detailed look at the ape's functional anatomy.