Final answer:
During the Miocene epoch, Africa had early apes like Proconsul which lacked long digits and a tail, while Asia had Sivapithecus, similar to modern orangutans. Today's primate communities are found in tropical forests across the world, showing variations in size and brain capacity with some walking upright, like Australopithecus.
Step-by-step explanation:
Africa and Asian Primate Communities in the Miocene
During the Miocene epoch, which ranged from 23 to 5 million years ago (mya), the African and Asian primate communities were quite diverse. In Africa, primate fossils like Proconsul africanus which lived from 23 to 14 mya are key finds. These early apes, such as Proconsul, lacked long, curved digits and a tail, walked on all four limbs, and their teeth followed a 2.1.2.3 dental pattern.
In Asia, a well-known Miocene ape is Sivapithecus, the skull morphology of which bears a striking resemblance to that of the modern orangutan, with their tall nasal openings and high eye sockets. Sivapithecus had very thick dental enamel, which indicates a diet consisting of very hard foods.
Primate Communities Today
Today, primates are found in the tropical and subtropical regions of South America, Africa, and Asia. Old World tropical forests in Africa and Asia are the habitats for many species of monkeys and all modern apes, like the chimpanzee and the orangutan. Modern primates broadly vary in size, and evolutionary trends show an increase in brain size and changes in locomotion, observed from fossils like Australopithecus afarensis, best exemplified by 'Lucy'.