Ucayalipithecus fossil map
Where fossils of Ucayalipithecus 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 | Parapithecidae |
| Named by | Seiffert et al. 2020 |
| Fossil records | 2 occurrences at 1 locations (PBDB) |
| Found in | Peru |
| Rock formations | Yahuarango |
About Ucayalipithecus
Ucayalipithecus is an extinct genus of parapithecid primates known from the Oligocene of the Peruvian Amazon. It is represented by four fossil molars discovered at the Santa Rosa locality in the Ucayali Region of eastern Peru. The genus and its only known species, Ucayalipithecus perdita, were described in 2020.
Phylogenetic analysis placed Ucayalipithecus among the parapithecids, an extinct group of anthropoid primates otherwise known from Afro-Arabia. Its presence in South America was interpreted as evidence of a separate dispersal of primates from Africa to South America, independent of the lineage that gave rise to modern New World monkeys.
Text in “About” is quoted from the Wikipedia article Ucayalipithecus (revision 1380971743), 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: Q90536319.
