Pliopithecus
| Pliopithecus Temporal range: Late Miocene - Pliocene | |
|---|---|
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| Mandible fragment of Pliopithecus antiquus from Sansan, France; cast from Museum national d'histoire naturelle, Paris | |
| Scientific classification | |
| Kingdom: | Animalia |
| Phylum: | Chordata |
| Class: | Mammalia |
| Order: | Primates |
| Suborder: | Haplorrhini |
| Infraorder: | Simiiformes |
| Parvorder: | Catarrhini |
| Superfamily: | †Pliopithecoidea |
| Family: | †Pliopithecidae |
| Subfamily: | †Pliopithecinae |
| Genus: | †Pliopithecus Gervais, 1849 |
| Paleospecies | |
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Pliopithecus antiquus jaw seen from above
Pliopithecus is a genus of extinct primates of the Miocene and Pliocene. It was discovered in 1837 by Édouard Lartet (1801–1871) in France, with fossils subsequently discovered in Switzerland, Slovakia and Spain.
Pliopithecus' had a similar size and form to modern gibbons, to which it may be related, although it is probably not a direct ancestor. It had long limbs, hands, and feet, and may have been able to brachiate, swinging between trees using its arms. Unlike gibbons, it had a short tail, and only partial stereoscopic vision.[1]
Anapithecus is a close relative and was initially considered a subgenus of Pliopithecus.