Mesopithecus
| Mesopithecus Temporal range:
| |
|---|---|
| |
| Skeleton | |
Scientific classification 
| |
| Domain: | Eukaryota |
| Kingdom: | Animalia |
| Phylum: | Chordata |
| Class: | Mammalia |
| Order: | Primates |
| Suborder: | Haplorhini |
| Infraorder: | Simiiformes |
| Family: | Cercopithecidae |
| Subfamily: | Colobinae |
| Genus: | †Mesopithecus Wagner, 1839 |
| Species | |
| |
Mesopithecus ("middle monkey" for being between Hylobates and Semnopithecus in build) is an extinct genus of Old World monkey that lived in Europe and Asia 7 to 5 million years ago.[1][2][3] 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.[4] It was once thought that these extinct monkeys might be an ancestor of the grey langur, but a study in 2004[5] suggested that they are more closely related to the snub-nosed monkeys and doucs.
Gallery
-
Mesopithecus pentelici skulls -
Skeletal restoration
_white_background.jpg)
Text is available under the CC BY-SA 4.0 license; additional terms may apply.
Images, videos and audio are available under their respective licenses.
Cover photo is available under {{::mainImage.info.license.name || 'Unknown'}} license.
Cover photo is available under {{::mainImage.info.license.name || 'Unknown'}} license.
Credit:
(see original file).
