PLIOPITHECUS Meaning and
Definition
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Pliopithecus is a noun defined as a genus of extinct primates that lived during the Miocene epoch, approximately 20 to 10 million years ago. It is derived from the Greek words "plio," meaning more or earlier, and "pithecus," meaning ape.
Pliopithecus is considered to be one of the earliest known apes, and their fossils have been discovered mainly in Europe and parts of Africa. They were small to medium-sized primates, similar in size to a modern-day baboon or gibbon. While their exact evolutionary relationship with modern apes and humans is still debated, they are generally accepted as early relatives of modern apes, including gibbons and orangutans.
These extinct primates were predominantly arboreal, meaning they spent the majority of their time in trees. Their skeletal structure indicates adaptations for climbing, such as long arms and grasping hands with opposable thumbs. Pliopithecus likely had a diet consisting of fruits and leaves, which would have been abundant in the forested environments they inhabited.
Studying Pliopithecus fossils gives researchers valuable insights into the evolution of apes and helps reconstruct the primate lineage. By examining their anatomical features, scientists have been able to understand the adaptations that eventually led to the emergence of modern apes and humans. Pliopithecus therefore represents an important stage in the evolutionary history of ape-like primates.
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In geol., an extinct ape from the Miocene deposits of the south of France, having a resemblance to the tailed monkeys of S. Amer.
Etymological and pronouncing dictionary of the English language. By Stormonth, James, Phelp, P. H. Published 1874.
Common Misspellings for PLIOPITHECUS
- oliopithecus
- lliopithecus
- -liopithecus
- 0liopithecus
- pkiopithecus
- ppiopithecus
- poiopithecus
- pluopithecus
- pljopithecus
- plkopithecus
- ploopithecus
- pl9opithecus
- pl8opithecus
- pliipithecus
- plikpithecus
- plilpithecus
- plippithecus
- pli0pithecus
- pli9pithecus
- pliooithecus
Etymology of PLIOPITHECUS
The word pliopithecus is derived from two Greek roots: plio which means more or greater, and pithecus which means ape or monkey. Therefore, the term pliopithecus can be translated as greater ape or greater monkey.
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