Mesopithecus

Mesopithecus Temporal range: Late Miocene–Late Pliocene PreЄ Є O S D C P T J K Pg N
Skeleton
Conservation status
Fossil
Scientific classification
Kingdom:	Animalia
Phylum:	Chordata
Class:	Mammalia
Order:	Primates
Family:	Cercopithecidae
Subfamily:	Colobinae
Genus:	Mesopithecus
Species
M. pentelici

Mesopithecus ("middle monkey") is an extinct genus of Old World monkey that lived in Europe and western Asia 7 to 5 million years ago. It was once thought that it might be an ancestor of the grey langur, but a more recent study^[1] suggests that they are more closely related to the snub-nosed monkeys and doucs.

Mesopithecus pentelici skulls

Skeletal restoration

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]

References

1. 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. Retrieved 2009-01-26.
2. Palmer, D., ed. (1999). The Marshall Illustrated Encyclopedia of Dinosaurs and Prehistoric Animals. London: Marshall Editions. p. 289. ISBN 1-84028-152-9.

External links

• Rare Mesopithecus skull unearthed in Chalkidiki