Oreopithecus

E673478

Oreopithecus is an extinct, unusual Miocene ape known from fossils in Italy, notable for its unique skeletal adaptations that suggest a mix of arboreal and possibly bipedal locomotion.

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Statements (54)

Predicate Object
instanceOf Miocene ape
fossil taxon
prehistoric primate genus
bodySize small to medium-sized ape
class Mammalia
controversy interpretation of bipedal adaptations
currentlyConsidered highly derived insular ape
diet primarily folivorous
discoveredIn late 19th century
enamel thick enamel on molars
estimatedBodyMass approximately 30 kilograms
evolutionaryPhenomenon island endemism
family Oreopithecidae NERFINISHED
familyStatus monotypic family
firstDescribedBy Paul Gervais NERFINISHED
firstDescriptionYear 1872
footMorphologySuggests adaptation to climbing
limited efficient terrestrial bipedalism
fossilMaterialIncludes cranial remains
fossilMaterialIncludes partial skeletons
postcranial remains
fossilRange Late Miocene of Europe
geologicalEpoch Late Miocene NERFINISHED
geologicalPeriod Miocene NERFINISHED
habitat insular environment
swampy or marshy habitats
historicallyConsidered possible early hominin (now rejected)
infraorder Simiiformes NERFINISHED
kingdom Animalia
knownFromFossilsIn Italy NERFINISHED
Tusco-Sardinian paleobioprovince NERFINISHED
locomotion arboreal locomotion
possible habitual bipedalism
molarMorphology high-crested molars
notableSite Baccinello Basin NERFINISHED
Montebamboli NERFINISHED
order Primates
parvorder Catarrhini NERFINISHED
pelvisSuggests upright posture capability
phylogeneticPosition distant from the human lineage
phylum Chordata
shows insular dwarfism traits
skeletalAdaptation grasping feet
mobile shoulder joint
shortened lumbar region
unique pelvic morphology
skeletalAdaptation relatively long arms
skeletalAdaptation short trunk
suborder Haplorhini NERFINISHED
superfamily Hominoidea NERFINISHED
taxonRank genus
temporalRange approximately 8.3 to 6.7 million years ago
toothMorphologySuggests leaf-based diet
typeSpecies Oreopithecus bambolii NERFINISHED

Referenced by (1)

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

Hominoidea includesExtinctTaxon Oreopithecus