The term Aegyptopithecus refers to a small, tree-dwelling, and mainly herbivorous primate mammal that lived about 33 million years ago. It weighed approximately 4–6 kilograms and displayed certain features resembling modern lemurs, although it possessed a complete set of 32 teeth, like modern hominoids.
Aegyptopithecus is considered an important ancestor of later hominoids and one of the earliest known members of the evolutionary line that eventually led to apes and, ultimately, humans.
NEW WORLD MONKEYS
About 30 million years ago, the New World monkeys appeared in South America, probably descending from ancestors that arrived there from Africa. All of them were arboreal, and many possessed prehensile tails, which they used both for balance and for grasping branches and objects.
New World monkeys are not part of the human evolutionary line. Among the best-known species are spider monkeys, capuchins, and marmosets.
OLD WORLD MONKEYS
About 25 million years ago, the primates of Africa split into two major groups: the Old World monkeys and the Hominoidea, the group from which apes and humans later evolved.Old World monkeys lived both in trees and on the ground. They lacked prehensile tails and had nostrils positioned close together and facing downward, a characteristic also found in humans and apes.
PROCONSUL
About 23 million years ago, one of the earliest known hominoids, Proconsul, lived in Africa. It displayed a mixture of monkey-like and ape-like characteristics: it had a skull and teeth resembling those of monkeys, but also features associated with early hominoids.The African species Proconsul africanus is considered a possible ancestor of both lesser and great apes.
THE DIVERSIFICATION OF HOMINOIDS
About 19 million years ago, the lesser apes (gibbons) diverged from the rest of the hominoid branch. During the following millions of years, hominoids underwent major biological diversification and spread throughout Africa as well as parts of the Mediterranean region and Asia.RAMAPITHECUS
About 13 million years ago lived Ramapithecus, whose fossils were first discovered in India and later in other parts of Asia and Africa. Its name comes from the god Rama of Indian mythology.
At first, scientists believed that Ramapithecus might have been an early human ancestor because it displayed certain features similar to human teeth. Today, however, it is considered more likely to have been more closely related to the ancestors of orangutans than to the human evolutionary line.
Nevertheless, the study of Ramapithecus contributed significantly to our understanding of the evolution of apes and hominoids.
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