Kamoyapithecus

Kamoyapithecus is an extinct genus of primates that lived in Africa during the late Oligocene period, about 24.2-27.5 million years ago.
It is known for its large and robust canines, which resemble those of the hominoid genus Proconsul.
Kamoyapithecus is also notable for being named after Kamoya Kimeu, a famous fossil hunter who discovered many important fossils of early human ancestors in Kenya and Tanzania.
Kamoyapithecus is represented by only one species, K. hamiltoni, which was first described in 1995 by Meave Leakey and colleagues.
The fossils of Kamoyapithecus are very fragmentary and consist mainly of teeth and jaw bones.
Based on its dental features, Kamoyapithecus is thought to have fed on soft fruits, nuts and seeds, and to have lived in forested habitats.
Kamoyapithecus is not well understood in terms of its phylogenetic relationships with other primates, but it may have been related to Afropithecus, Proconsul, and Morotopithecus.
Kamoyapithecus is one of the earliest and most primitive catarrhine primates, and it provides insights into the evolution of the African ape and human lineage.

Kamoyapithecus was a primate that lived in Africa during the late Oligocene period, about 24.2-27.5 million years ago.

It is known only from its teeth and jaws, which suggest that it ate soft fruits, nuts and seeds.

It was first found in 1948 in Lothidok Hill, Turkana County, Kenya, and later named after Kamoya Kimeu, a famous fossil hunter.

Kamoyapithecus had large and robust canines, similar to those of Proconsul, another primate genus from the same time period.

However, the exact relationship between Kamoyapithecus and other primates is unclear, as the fossil material is very fragmentary.

Kamoyapithecus is the only genus and species in its family, and it may represent an early branch of the catarrhine lineage that includes monkeys, apes and humans.