''Propliopithecus'' is an extinct

genus Genus ( plural genera ) is a taxonomic rank used in the biological classification of living and fossil organisms as well as viruses. In the hierarchy of biological classification, genus comes above species and below family. In binomial nom ...

primate Primates are a diverse order of mammals. They are divided into the strepsirrhines, which include the lemurs, galagos, and lorisids, and the haplorhines, which include the tarsiers and the simians ( monkeys and apes, the latter including ...

. The 40 cm (1 ft 4 in) long creature resembled today's gibbons. Its eyes faced forwards, giving it stereoscopical vision. ''Propliopithecus'' was most likely an omnivore. It is possible that ''Propliopithecus'' is the same creature as ''

Aegyptopithecus ''Aegyptopithecus'' ("Egyptian ape", from Greek ''Αίγυπτος'' "Egypt" and ''πίθηκος'' "ape") is an early fossil catarrhine that predates the divergence between hominoids ( apes) and cercopithecids (Old World monkeys). It is kno ...

''. If that would be the case the name ''Propliopithecus'' would take precedence over ''Aegyptopithecus'' according to ICZN rules, because it was coined earlier.

Human-like dental features

''Propliopithecus'' had small canine teeth, lacked spaces to fit the canine teeth of the other jaw into, and had molars very similar to those of ''

Australopithecus ''Australopithecus'' (, ; ) is a genus of early hominins that existed in Africa during the Late Pliocene and Early Pleistocene. The genus ''Homo'' (which includes modern humans) emerged within ''Australopithecus'', as sister to e.g. ''Austral ...

''. These features set ''Propliopithecus'' apart from ''

'', which had big canine teeth along with other more normal simian dental features.Bjorn Kurten: The age of mammals

References

Oligocene primates Prehistoric apes Fossil taxa described in 1910 Prehistoric primate genera Oligocene mammals of Africa {{paleo-primate-stub