Griphopithecus | |
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Scientific classification | |
Kingdom: | Animalia |
Phylum: | Chordata |
Class: | Mammalia |
Order: | Primates |
Family: | Afropithecidae |
Genus: |
Griphopithecus Abel, 1902 |
Griphopithecus is a prehistoric ape from the Miocene of Turkey and Central Europe.
The interpretation of the fossil material assigned to this genus is problematic, as even generic attributions have been unstable (see below). While Dryopithecus is regarded as a crown hominoid with close relevance to the African apes, Griphopithecus has been consistently grouped with stem hominoids. The material therefore indicates the range of hominoid locomotor anatomy in mid-Miocene Europe, rather than a specifically crown hominoid anatomy.
The following cladogram illustrated the supposed evolutionary relations of Griphopithecus:
Hylobates clade
Sivapithecus-Pongo clade
Dryopithecus-Homo clade