Mesopithecus

Mesopithecus; Temporal range: Late Miocene–Late Pliocene PreꞒ Ꞓ O S D C P T J K Pg N
	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 monspessulanus(Gervais 1859); Mesopithecus pentelici (Wagner 1839) (type);

Mesopithecus ("middle monkey") is an extinct genus of Old World monkey that lived in Europe and western Asia 7 to 5 million years ago. More recently, however, in August 2020, scientists reported the discovery of fossils of M. pentelicus that are about 6.4 million years old, in Yuhane Province, China; these fossils are considered to be the oldest monkey fossils found outside of Africa.^[1] 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.^[2] Nonetheless, it was once thought that these extinct monkeys might be an ancestor of the grey langur, but a more recent study^[3] suggests that they are more closely related to the snub-nosed monkeys and doucs.

Gallery

Mesopithecus pentelici skulls
Skeletal restoration

References

^ Jablonski, Nina G.; et al. (6 August 2020). "Mesopithecus pentelicus from Zhaotong, China, the easternmost representative of a widespread Miocene cercopithecoid species". Journal of Human Evolution. 145. doi:10.1016/j.jhevol.2020.102851. Retrieved 10 October 2020.
^ Palmer, D., ed. (1999). The Marshall Illustrated Encyclopedia of Dinosaurs and Prehistoric Animals. London: Marshall Editions. p. 289. ISBN 1-84028-152-9.
^ Pan, Ruliang; Groves, Colin; Oxnard, Charles (2004). "Relationships Between the Fossil Colobine Mesopithecus pentelicus and Extant Cercopithecoids, Based on Dental Metrics" (PDF). American Journal of Primatology. 62 (4): 287–299. doi:10.1002/ajp.20022. PMID 15085533. Archived from the original (PDF) on 2008-07-27. Retrieved 2009-01-26.

External links

Rare Mesopithecus skull unearthed in Chalkidiki

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[JHE-20200901-1] Jablonski, Nina G.; et al. (6 August 2020). "Mesopithecus pentelicus from Zhaotong, China, the easternmost representative of a widespread Miocene cercopithecoid species". Journal of Human Evolution. 145. doi:10.1016/j.jhevol.2020.102851. Retrieved 10 October 2020.

[EoDP-2] Palmer, D., ed. (1999). The Marshall Illustrated Encyclopedia of Dinosaurs and Prehistoric Animals. London: Marshall Editions. p. 289. ISBN 1-84028-152-9.

[3] Pan, Ruliang; Groves, Colin; Oxnard, Charles (2004). "Relationships Between the Fossil Colobine Mesopithecus pentelicus and Extant Cercopithecoids, Based on Dental Metrics" (PDF). American Journal of Primatology. 62 (4): 287–299. doi:10.1002/ajp.20022. PMID 15085533. Archived from the original (PDF) on 2008-07-27. Retrieved 2009-01-26.

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