Micropithecus
Sign in to save' Micropithecus ' is an extinct genus of primates that lived in East Africa about 19 to 15 million years ago, during the early Miocene. The genus and its type species, Micropithecus clarki, were first scientifically described in 1978.
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5 sectionsContents
- Naming
- History of description
- Further finds
- Palaeoecology
- References
' Micropithecus ' is an extinct genus of primates that lived in East Africa about 19 to 15 million years ago, during the early Miocene. The genus and its type species, Micropithecus clarki, were first scientifically described in 1978.
== Naming == The generic name, Micropithecus, is derived from the Greek Words μικρός (ancient Greek pronounced mikrós, "small") and πίθηκος (pronounced píthēkos, "monkey"). Micropithecus thus means "small ape", referring to the fact that the fossils of this genus are among the smallest fossil apes discovered.