Dryopithecus
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| phylum | Chordata | Dryopithecus is an extinct genus of apes first discovered in France. Other dryopitecids were found in southern Europe, East Africa, and China, from the middle to late Miocene (12 - 5 Myr ago). Dryopithecus was about 4 feet long with a large brain, a gracile jaw, and thinly enameled teeth. It was probably a brachiator, spending most of its life in the trees eating leaves and fruit. The genus may have shared ancestry with gorillas, but it is a side branch of the line to humans rather than a direct ancestor.
For more information see the Wikipedia entry. Get back to Hominoidea |
| class | Mammalia | |
| infraclass | Eutheria | |
| order | Primates | |
| family | Hominidae | |
| genus | Dryopithecus † | |
| Temporal range | 12 – 5 Ma |
