Egyptopithecus

Egyptopithecus is an extinct primate that lived about 30 million years ago in the early Oligocene epoch.

It is known for being one of the earliest catarrhines, a group that includes apes and Old World monkeys.

Egyptopithecus is considered a possible ancestor or close relative of both lineages.

These primates had a dental formula of 2.1.2.3 2.1.2.3, sexually dimorphic canines, and molars adapted for shearing and grinding food.

They were was about the size of a modern howler monkey and had a small brain, small eyes, and a long snout.

It was probably diurnal and ate insects and fruits.

Fossils of Aegyptopithecus were found in the Jebel Qatrani Formation in Egypt, where it lived in tropical forests.

The Egyptopithecus, also known as Aegyptopithecus, was an early fossil catarrhine that lived in the Oligocene epoch, about 38-29.5 million years ago.

It is considered to be a possible ancestor of both the Old World monkeys and the apes.

The Egyptopithecus had a dental formula of 2.1.2.3 2.1.2.3, with large and sexually dimorphic canines.

It also had crenulated or serrated enamel on its cheek teeth, which suggests that it was adapted to a diet of hard fruits and seeds.

It had small and dorsally oriented orbits, indicating that it was diurnal.

It also had a large interorbital distance and a sagittal crest in older individuals.

It was about the same size as a modern howler monkey, weighing between 4.5 and 6.5 kg.

The Egyptopithecus is believed to be a stem-catarrhine, a crucial link between the Eocene and Miocene fossils.

It shows some features that are shared with both the cercopithecids and the hominoids, such as a relatively large brain and a reduced snout.

However, it also has some primitive traits that are not seen in either group, such as a long tail and a low-crowned dentition.

Therefore, it is not clear whether the Egyptopithecus was more closely related to the Old World monkeys or the apes, or whether it was a sister group to both of them.

The Egyptopithecus is one of the best known extinct primates based on craniodental and postcranial remains.

It provides valuable insights into the evolution and diversification of the catarrhine primates, which include the living humans, chimpanzees, gorillas, orangutans, baboons, macaques, and many others.