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Mesopithecus

Mesopithecus
Temporal range: Late Miocene–Late Pliocene
Mesopithecus pentelici skeleton.JPG
Skeleton
Scientific classification
Kingdom: Animalia
Phylum: Chordata
Class: Mammalia
Order: Primates
Family: Cercopithecidae
Subfamily: Colobinae
Genus: Mesopithecus
Wagner, 1839
Species
  • Mesopithecus monspessulanu(Gervais 1859)
  • Mesopithecus pentelici (Wagner 1839) (type)

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 suggests that they are more closely related to the snub-nosed monkeys and doucs.

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.


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Wikipedia

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