Sivapithecus

Sivapithecus (lit.'Shiva's Ape') (syn: Ramapithecus) is a genus of extinct apes. Fossil remains of animals now assigned to this genus, dated from 12.2 million years old in the Miocene, have been found since the 19th century in the Siwalik Hills of the Indian subcontinent as well as in Kutch. Any one of the species in this genus may have been the ancestor to the modern orangutans.

Sivapithecus
Temporal range: Miocene
S. indicus skull, Natural History Museum, London
Scientific classification
Domain: Eukaryota
Kingdom: Animalia
Phylum: Chordata
Class: Mammalia
Order: Primates
Suborder: Haplorhini
Infraorder: Simiiformes
Family: Hominidae
Subfamily: Ponginae
Tribe: Sivapithecini
Genus: Sivapithecus
Pilgrim, 1910
Species
  • S. sivalensis
  • S. parvada
  • S. indicus
Synonyms

Brahmapithecus
Ramapithecus
Palaeopithecus sivalensis

Some early discoveries were given the separate names Ramapithecus (Rama's Ape) and Bramapithecus (Brahma's Ape), and were thought to be possible ancestors of humans.

This article is issued from Wikipedia. The text is licensed under Creative Commons - Attribution - Sharealike. Additional terms may apply for the media files.