Otavipithecus fossil map
Where fossils of Otavipithecus have been found, shown on the Earth as it looked about 15 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 15 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 | 15.98–11.63 million years ago (Langhian to Serravallian) |
| Periods | Neogene |
| Family | Hominidae |
| Named by | Conroy and et al 1992 |
| Fossil records | 2 occurrences at 1 locations (PBDB) |
| Found in | Namibia |
| Rock formations | txn:40899 |
About Otavipithecus
Otavipithecus namibiensis is an extinct species of ape from the Miocene of Namibia. The fossils were discovered at the Berg Aukas mines in the foothills of the Otavi mountains, hence the generic name. The species was described in 1992 by Glenn Conroy and colleagues, and was at the time the only non-hominin fossil ape known from Southern Africa. The scientists noted that the surrounding area of the discovered specimen included fauna dated at "about 13 ± 1 Myr". The fossils consist of part of the lower jawbone with molars, a partial frontal bone, a heavily damaged ulna, one vertebra and a partial finger bone.
Otavipithecus is estimated to have weighed between 14 and 20 kg.
The unspecialised teeth have only a thin layer of enamel, implying a diet of soft vegetation such as fruit and young leaves.
The phylogenetic position of Otavipithecus is not clear from the meagre fossils known to date. Alternative proposals have it branching close to the earlier Afropithecus of Kenya, or being close to the common ancestor of modern African apes (humans, chimpanzees, and gorillas).
Text in “About” is quoted from the Wikipedia article Otavipithecus (revision 1277162757), 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: Q1953843.
