''Rudapithecus'' is a
chimpanzee-like[László Kordos: 50 years of Rudapithecus]
(in Hungarian) genus of ape which inhabited
Europe
Europe is a large peninsula conventionally considered a continent in its own right because of its great physical size and the weight of its history and traditions. Europe is also considered a subcontinent of Eurasia and it is located entirel ...
during the
Late Miocene, approximately 10 million years ago. One species is known, ''Rudapithecus hungaricus''.
The genus name "''Rudapithecus''" comes from where it was discovered, in
Rudabánya'',''
Northern Hungary
Northern Hungary ( hu, Észak-Magyarország) is a region in Hungary. As a statistical region it includes the counties Borsod-Abaúj-Zemplén, Heves and Nógrád, but in colloquial speech it usually also refers to Szabolcs-Szatmár-Bereg county. ...
in 1965 and sent to
Budapest
Budapest (, ; ) is the capital and most populous city of Hungary. It is the ninth-largest city in the European Union by population within city limits and the second-largest city on the Danube river; the city has an estimated population ...
in 1967.
The specific name "''hungaricus''" refers to the country where it was discovered, in Hungary.
''Rudapithecus'' probably moved among branches like modern apes do now, holding its body upright, and climbing trees with its arms. ''Rudapithecus hungaricus'' differed from modern great apes by having a more flexible lumbar, which indicates when ''Rudapithecus'' came down to the ground, it might have had the ability to stand upright like humans do. Modern ''
Gorilla
Gorillas are herbivorous, predominantly ground-dwelling great apes that inhabit the tropical forests of equatorial Africa. The genus ''Gorilla'' is divided into two species: the eastern gorilla and the western gorilla, and either four or fi ...
,
Pan,'' and ''
Pongo'' have a long pelvis, and a short lumbar because they are very large animals, which is why they usually walk on all fours. Humans have a longer, more flexible lumbar, which allow humans to stand upright, and walk efficiently on two legs. It is known that ''Rudapithecus'' had a more flexible torso than today's apes, because it was much smaller, about the size of a medium-sized dog.
References
Prehistoric apes
Miocene primates of Europe
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