Oreopithecus

American  

[awr-ee-oh-pith-i-kuhs, -puh-thee-kuhs, ohr-] / ˌɔr i oʊˈpɪθ ɪ kəs, -pəˈθi kəs, ˌoʊr- /

noun

1. the genus of an extinct hominoid found in the Miocene coal deposits of Italy, the last known European ape, living 7–9 million years ago and possessing physical and dietary similarities to early hominins, but not classified with them.

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Etymology

Origin of Oreopithecus

First recorded in 1875–80; from New Latin: literally “mountain ape”; from Greek ore-, oreo-, (stems of óros ) “hill, mountain” + Greek píthēkos “ape”

Example Sentences

A second case concerns 7- to 8-million-year-old Oreopithecus, designated a hominid about 50 years ago.

From US News

Some extinct primates, such as Oreopithecus bambolii, evolved outside of the human line but nevertheless possessed similarly hominin-like traits, which, the authors write, "encourage researchers to generate erroneous assumptions about evolutionary relationships."

From Scientific American

But the researchers are quick to point out that other ancient non-hominin species, including Oreopithecus and Ouranopithecus, also came to have reduced canine teeth, "presumably as a result of parallel shifts in dietary behavior in response to changing ecological conditions," the researchers suggest in their article.

From Scientific American

Oreopithecus lived in Miocene-period marshes, which are now coal areas around Grosseto, in central Italy.

From Time Magazine Archive

But in 1949 Hurzeler became convinced that Oreopithecus was a higher type.

From Time Magazine Archive