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: | |
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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 | |
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