Aegyptopithecus

Ay-gyp-toe-pif-e-kus.
Published on

Nisha Yadav

Physicist

Nisha Yadav is a dedicated physicist whose work bridges the gap between physics and paleontology. With a deep interest in the processes that preserve ancient life, she explores how physical principles govern fossilization and the preservation of extinct species.

Cite Feedback Print

Name

Aegyptopithecus ‭(‬Egypt age‭).

Phonetic

Ay-gyp-toe-pif-e-kus.

Named By

E.‭ S‬imons‭ ‬-‭ ‬1965.

Classification

Chordata,‭ ‬Mammalia,‭ ‬Primates,‭ ‬Haplorrhini,‭ ‬Propliopithecoidea,‭ ‬Propliopithecidae.

Diet

Frugivore.

Species

A.‭ ‬zeuxis‭

Size

Weight estimated at around‭ ‬6.7‭ ‬kilograms.

Known locations

Egypt,‭ ‬Fayum Province‭ ‬-‭ ‬Jebel Qatrani Formation.

Time Period

Rupelian of the Oligocene.

Fossil representation

Many specimens.

In Depth

       Although usually regarded as its own genus,‭ ‬there is on-going debate over how Aegyptopithecus might actually be the same primate as Propliopithecus.‭ ‬If this eventually does happen then material that has been named Aegyptopithecus will be re-named Propliopithecus.‭

       Aegyptopithecus is thought to have been a frugivore,‭ ‬a herbivorous creature that specialises in eating fruit.‭ ‬However there is also evidence to suggest that Aegyptopithecus would also occasionally eat tougher plant parts,‭ ‬perhaps as a result of a lack of its preferred food.‭ ‬As is common in primates,‭ ‬the canine teeth of male Aegyptopithecus are larger than those of females,‭ ‬a clear sign of sexual dimorphism with the enlarged canines serving as display and potential weapons between competing males.‭ ‬Due to its dietary preference and size,‭ ‬Aegyptopithecus is seen to have been an arboreal creature that lived in the tree canopies of Oligocene era Egypt.‭ ‬It might be hard to imagine this kind of habitat in Egypt today,‭ ‬but the desertification of this country and other regions of North Africa is actually a very recent occurrence when go‭ ‬you‭ ‬by a geological time scale.

Further Reading

– New fossil apes from Egypt and the initial differentiation of Hominoidea. – Nature 205:135-139. – E. L. Simons – 1965. – The Humerus of Aegyptopithecus zeuxis: A Primitive Anthropoid. – American Journal of Physical Anthropology. 59 (2): 175–193. – John G. Fleagle & Elwyn L. Simons – 1982. – Dental Microwear and Microstructure in Early Oligocene Primates From the Fayum, Egypt: Implications for Diet. – American Journal of Physical Anthropology. 101 (4): 527–543. – Mark F. Telford, Mary C. Maas & Elwyn L. Simons – 1996. – Femoral Anatomy of Aegyptopithecus zeuxis, An Early Oligocene Anthropoid. – American Journal of Physical Anthropology. 106 (4): 413–424. – Ankel-Simons, Friderun; John G. Fleagle & Prithijit S. Chatrath – 1998. – Revised age estimates for the later Paleogene mammal faunas of Egypt and Oman. – Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences of the United States of America. 103 (13): 5000–5005. – Erik R. Seiffert – 2006. – A remarkable female cranium of the early Oligocene anthropoid Aegyptopithecus zeuxis (Catarrhini, Propliopithecidae). – PNAS. 104 (21): 8731–8736. – A remarkable female cranium of the early Oligocene anthropoid Aegyptopithecus zeuxis (Catarrhini, Propliopithecidae)”. PNAS. 104 (21): 8731–8736. Simons, Erik R. Seiffert, Timothy M. Ryan & Yousry Attia – 2007.

SPECIES SPOTLIGHT