Marc Verhaegen , Pierre - François Puech and Stephen Munro

According to biomolecular data, the great apes split into Asian pongids (orang-utan) and African hominids (gorillas, chimpanzees and humans) 18–12 million years ago (Mya) and hominids split into gorillas and humans–chimpanzees 10–6 Mya. Fossils with pongid features appear in Eurasia after c. 15 Mya, and fossils with hominid fossils appear in Africa after c.10 Mya. Instead of the traditional savannahdwelling hypothesis, we argue that a combination of fossil (including the newly discovered Orrorin, Ardipithecus and Kenyanthropus hominids) and comparative data now provides evidence showing that: (1) the earliest hominids waded and climbed in swampy or coastal forests in Africa– Arabia and fed partly on hard-shelled fruits and molluscs; (2) their australopith descendants in Africa had a comparable locomotion but generally preferred a diet including wetland plants; and (3) the Homo descendants migrated to or remained near the Indian Ocean coasts, lost most climbing abilities, and exploited waterside resources.