Dryopithecus

E670843

Dryopithecus is an extinct genus of Miocene apes from Europe and Africa that is considered important for understanding early hominoid evolution and the ancestry of great apes and humans.

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Statements (47)

Predicate Object
instanceOf Miocene hominoid
extinct genus
prehistoric ape
bodySize roughly chimpanzee-sized
class Mammalia
considered possible member of the stem great ape radiation
dentition Y-5 molar pattern typical of hominoids
diet primarily frugivorous
extinctionStatus extinct
family Hominidae NERFINISHED
fossilDistribution Africa NERFINISHED
Europe NERFINISHED
fossilsFoundIn East Africa NERFINISHED
France NERFINISHED
Hungary NERFINISHED
Spain NERFINISHED
fossilTypeMaterial cranial and dental remains
postcranial bones
foundInGeologicalPeriod Miocene
geologicalAge approximately 12 to 9 million years ago
hasSpecies Dryopithecus brancoi NERFINISHED
Dryopithecus fontani NERFINISHED
Dryopithecus wuduensis NERFINISHED
hasTrait orthograde body posture features in postcranial skeleton
relatively thin dental enamel compared to some later hominids
infraorder Simiiformes NERFINISHED
kingdom Animalia
locomotion arboreal
climbing and suspensory behaviors
namedBy Édouard Lartet NERFINISHED
notableFor importance in understanding early hominoid evolution
relevance to ancestry of great apes
relevance to ancestry of humans
order Primates NERFINISHED
parvorder Catarrhini NERFINISHED
phylum Chordata
relatedTo great apes
humans
researchImportance key taxon in debates on hominid and great ape origins
suborder Haplorhini NERFINISHED
superfamily Hominoidea NERFINISHED
taxonRank genus
temporalRange Late Miocene
Middle Miocene
Miocene NERFINISHED
typeLocality Saint-Gaudens, France NERFINISHED
yearDescribed 1856

Referenced by (1)

Full triples — surface form annotated when it differs from this entity's canonical label.

Hominoidea includesExtinctTaxon Dryopithecus