Theropithecus fossil map
Where fossils of Theropithecus 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 | 5.333–0.0117 million years ago (Zanclean to Late Pleistocene) |
| Periods | Neogene, Quaternary |
| Family | Cercopithecidae |
| Named by | Geoffroy 1843 |
| Fossil records | 228 occurrences at 85 locations (PBDB) |
| Found in | Kenya, Ethiopia, South Africa, Tanzania, Morocco, Malawi, DR Congo, Algeria, Spain, Italy … |
| Rock formations | Koobi Fora, Shungura, txn:40860, Nachukui, Olorgesailie, Olduvai |
About Theropithecus
Theropithecus is a genus of primates in the family Cercopithecidae. It contains a single living species, the gelada (Theropithecus gelada), native to the Ethiopian Highlands.
Additional species are known from fossils, including:
†Theropithecus brumpti
†Theropithecus darti
†Theropithecus oswaldi
The earliest remains probably belonging to the genus are from Kanapoi, Kenya, dating to the early Pliocene, around 4.1-4.2 million years ago.
Although most remains are known from Africa, during the Early Pleistocene the genus had a broader distribution ranging from southern Europe, including Spain and possibly Italy, to the Indian subcontinent.
Text in “About” is quoted from the Wikipedia article Theropithecus (revision 1292341639), 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: Q9087293.
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