Pliopithecus
Quick Summary
Pliopithecus is a genus of extinct anthropoids discovered in Upper Miocene and Lower Pliocene strata in Europe and possibly Asia. These ancient primates are thought to have had dentition very similar to modern gibbons and are commonly believed to be their ancestors.1
The Miocene Epoch, from 23 to 5.3 million years ago, was a significant period for primate evolution, marked by dramatic changes in climate and landscape, including the spread of grasslands. During this time, various primate groups, including apes and early hominins, diversified and adapted to new environments. While the exact evolutionary relationships of Pliopithecus are still debated, they represent an important part of the primate fossil record from this era.23
Ask Britannica AI about this topic
Britannica doesn't have a full article on this topic, so we've curated a list of our relevant coverage.
ape…have yielded such fossils as Pliopithecus, once thought to be related to gibbons but now known to be primitive and long separated from them. Closer to the modern apes are Proconsul, Afropithecus, Dryopithecus, and Sivapithecus, the latter being a possible
Read More…have yielded such fossils as Pliopithecus, once thought to be related to gibbons but now known to be primitive and long separated from them. Closer to the modern apes are Proconsul, Afropithecus, Dryopithecus, and Sivapithecus, the latter being a possible
Read More- primateMiocene
Remains of the best-known genus, Pliopithecus, from the Czech Republic have provided a remarkably complete picture of the habits of this group, which, on this evidence, appears to have possessed bodily forms of a tailed quadruped retaining numerous characteristics of New World monkeys. Long considered to be ancestral gibbons, the…
Read MoreRemains of the best-known genus, Pliopithecus, from the Czech Republic have provided a remarkably complete picture of the habits of this group, which, on this evidence, appears to have possessed bodily forms of a tailed quadruped retaining numerous characteristics of New World monkeys. Long considered to be ancestral gibbons, the…
Read More
