Aegyptopithecus fossil map
Where fossils of Aegyptopithecus have been found, shown on the Earth as it looked about 30 million years ago and on today’s map.
Dots are fossil collections recorded in the Paleobiology Database. The “then” view moves today’s fossil sites back to their positions 30 million years ago (the time slice nearest the median age of the fossils) using the Merdith et al. (2021) plate model; positions are approximate. Open on the timeline map →
| Group | Early mammals |
|---|---|
| Lived | 33.9–27.3 million years ago (Rupelian) |
| Periods | Paleogene |
| Family | Propliopithecidae |
| Named by | Simons 1965 |
| Fossil records | 4 occurrences at 1 locations (PBDB) |
| Found in | Egypt |
| Rock formations | Jebel Qatrani |
About 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 known from a single species, Aegyptopithecus zeuxis, which lived around 38-29.5 million years ago in the early part of the Oligocene epoch. It likely resembled modern-day New World monkeys, and was about the same size as a modern howler monkey, which is about 56 to 92 cm (22 to 36 in) long. Aegyptopithecus fossils have been found in the Jebel Qatrani Formation of modern-day Egypt. Aegyptopithecus is believed to be a stem-catarrhine, a crucial link between Eocene and Miocene fossils.
Aegyptopithecus zeuxis has become one of the best known extinct primates based on craniodental and postcranial remains.
Text in “About” is quoted from the Wikipedia article Aegyptopithecus (revision 1345519245), licensed under CC BY-SA 4.0; introduction excerpted verbatim, formatting removed. Ages, family, authority and fossil records: Paleobiology Database, accessed 23 October 2026. Ages are those of the rock layers the fossils were found in. Wikidata: Q18604603.
