''Equatorius'' is an extinct genus of
kenyapithecine primate found in central
Kenya
Kenya, officially the Republic of Kenya, is a country located in East Africa. With an estimated population of more than 52.4 million as of mid-2024, Kenya is the 27th-most-populous country in the world and the 7th most populous in Africa. ...
at the
Tugen Hills. Thirty-eight large teeth belonging to this
middle Miocene
The Middle Miocene is a sub-epoch of the Miocene epoch (geology), epoch made up of two Stage (stratigraphy), stages: the Langhian and Serravallian stages. The Middle Miocene is preceded by the Early Miocene.
The sub-epoch lasted from 15.97 ± 0. ...
hominid in addition to a mandibular and partially complete skeleton dated 15.58 Ma and 15.36 Ma. were later found.
Analysis
The anatomical structures in part was seen to be similar to ''
Afropithecus'' and ''
Proconsul
A proconsul was an official of ancient Rome who acted on behalf of a Roman consul, consul. A proconsul was typically a former consul. The term is also used in recent history for officials with delegated authority.
In the Roman Republic, military ...
''. Nevertheless, anatomy and morphology suggested the genus had an increased terrestrial habitat.
Taxonomy
, using their previous published study of ''K.africanus'', based the separate definition on comparisons of
gnathic and dental anatomy. The classification's validity was subsequently challenged.
[See McCrossin & Benefit's comment in ]
Notes
References
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{{Taxonbar, from2=Q288360, from1=Q18644997
Prehistoric apes
Miocene primates of Africa
Fossil taxa described in 1999
Monotypic prehistoric primate genera