Dendropithecus
Encyclopedia
Dendropithecus is an extinct genus
of apes native to East Africa between 20 and 15 million years ago. It may have been the ancestor of modern gibbon
s, which it resembled in some respects.
Dendropithecus was a slender ape, about 60 centimetres (2 ft) in body length. The structure of its arms suggest that it would have been able to brachiate, swinging between trees by its arms, but that it would not have been as efficient at this form of movement as modern gibbons. However, its teeth suggest a very gibbon-like diet, likely consisting of fruit, soft leaves, and flowers.
Genus
In biology, a genus is a low-level taxonomic rank used in the biological classification of living and fossil organisms, which is an example of definition by genus and differentia...
of apes native to East Africa between 20 and 15 million years ago. It may have been the ancestor of modern gibbon
Gibbon
Gibbons are apes in the family Hylobatidae . The family is divided into four genera based on their diploid chromosome number: Hylobates , Hoolock , Nomascus , and Symphalangus . The extinct Bunopithecus sericus is a gibbon or gibbon-like ape which, until recently, was thought to be closely related...
s, which it resembled in some respects.
Dendropithecus was a slender ape, about 60 centimetres (2 ft) in body length. The structure of its arms suggest that it would have been able to brachiate, swinging between trees by its arms, but that it would not have been as efficient at this form of movement as modern gibbons. However, its teeth suggest a very gibbon-like diet, likely consisting of fruit, soft leaves, and flowers.