Gorgopithecus fossil map
Where fossils of Gorgopithecus have been found, shown on the Earth as it looked about 0 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 0 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 | 3.6–0.0117 million years ago (Piacenzian to Late Pleistocene) |
| Periods | Neogene, Quaternary |
| Family | Cercopithecidae |
| Named by | Broom and Robinson 1949 |
| Fossil records | 4 occurrences at 1 locations (PBDB) |
| Found in | South Africa |
| Rock formations | Kromdraai |
About Gorgopithecus
Gorgopithecus is an extinct genus of primate in the Old World monkey family Cercopithecidae, closely related to the baboons.
There is only one known species, Gorgopithecus major. It has been found at sites from the Pliocene and Early Pleistocene Epoch in South Africa and Tanzania. It was first discovered at the Kromdraai A (also called the Kromdraai "Faunal") site in South Africa. It has since been found from Swartkrans (member 1), South Africa. Most recently, it has been recognized from the DKI site in Bed I of Olduvai Gorge, Tanzania, which has been dated to 1.8 million years old.
Text in “About” is quoted from the Wikipedia article Gorgopithecus (revision 1338949528), 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: Q16948343.
