Mesopithecus
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
| Mesopithecus Temporal range: Late Miocene–Late Pliocene |
|
|---|---|
 |
|
| Conservation status | |
|
Fossil
|
|
| Scientific classification | |
| Kingdom: | Animalia |
| Phylum: | Chordata |
| Class: | Mammalia |
| Order: | Primates |
| Family: | Cercopithecidae |
| Subfamily: | Colobinae |
| Genus: | Mesopithecus |
| Species | |
|
|
Mesopithecus ("middle monkey") is an extinct genus of Old World monkey that lived in Europe and western Asia 7 to 5 million years ago. It was once thought that it might be an ancestor of the grey langur, but a more recent study[1] suggests that they are more closely related to the snub-nosed monkeys and doucs.
Mesopithecus resembled a modern macaque, with a body length of about 40 centimetres (16 in). It was adapted to both walking and climbing, possessing a slender body with long, muscular limbs and flexible fingers. Its teeth suggest that it primarily ate soft leaves and fruit.[2]
[edit] References
- ^ Pan, Ruliang; Groves, Colin; Oxnard, Charles (2004). "Relationships Between the Fossil Colobine Mesopithecus pentelicus and Extant Cercopithecoids, Based on Dental Metrics" (PDF). American Journal of Primatology 62 (4): 287–299. doi:10.1002/ajp.20022. PMID 15085533. http://arts.anu.edu.au/grovco/Mesopithecus%20Pan%20Oxnard.pdf. Retrieved 2009-01-26.
- ^ Palmer, D., ed. (1999). The Marshall Illustrated Encyclopedia of Dinosaurs and Prehistoric Animals. London: Marshall Editions. pp. 289. ISBN 1-84028-152-9.
[edit] External links
 |
This prehistoric primate-related article is a stub. You can help Wikipedia by expanding it. |
| This monkey-related article is a stub. You can help Wikipedia by expanding it. |
