Mesopithecus

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. 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. It was once thought that these extinct monkeys might be an ancestor of the grey langur, but a study in 2004 suggested that they are more closely related to the snub-nosed monkeys and doucs.

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 monspessulanus
    Gervais 1859
  • Mesopithecus pentelici
    Wagner 1839 (type)
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