Afropithecus

Afropithecus a was primate that lived in Africa and Saudi Arabia during the early to middle Miocene.

Morphology

Afropithecus teeth had a thick enamel cover. This cover may have been needed for the diet ofAfropithecus, which might have consisted of nuts and other foods protected by a hard, durable husk. This innovation might have played a key role in establishing a foothold in the forests of Eurasia by letting Afropithecus partake of resources not available to Proconsul and other earlier apes.

Afropithecus may have certain affinities with Heliopithecus, Kenyapithecus, and the large hominoid from Moroto and Napak, but it must be noted that the comparative material is limited due to the number of common anatomical parts preserved.

Sources

http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/entrez/query.fcgi?cmd=Retrieve&db=PubMed&list_uids=3137824&dopt=Abstract

http://www.primates.com/history/ http://www.mc.maricopa.edu/~reffland/anthropology/anthro2003/origins/primates/primate_evol/miocene.html