An international team of researchers has identified a previously unknown fossil ape that lived during the early Miocene epoch, some 17 to 18 million years ago. named species Maslipithecus mograensisdescribed in a study published in the journal Science by scientists from Mansoura University Center for Vertebrate Paleontology (Egypt) and the University of Southern California (USA).
The fossil was discovered in Wadi Mogra in northern Egypt and is the first definitive evidence of apes from North Africa. Their age and location widen the known distribution of early apes and suggest that Egypt, along with the wider Middle East region, played an important role in the evolutionary developments that eventually gave rise to modern apes.
What is missing in North Africa?
“We spent five years looking for fossils of this kind, because when you look closely at the family tree of early apes, it becomes clear that something is missing, and North Africa has that missing piece,” said Hesham Salam, a paleontologist at Egypt’s Mansoura University and lead author of the study.
Prior to this discovery, monkey fossils had been found at early Miocene fossil sites in North Africa, but no apes had been identified. Its absence has led many researchers to conclude that great apes and their relatives were primarily confined to areas further south in Africa at the time.
Fossils of young apes have been discovered across Africa, Asia and Europe, but scientists continue to debate how these species are related and where their ancestors originated. New evidence suggests that gaps in the fossil record may have distorted the history of the crown hominid, the group that includes all modern apes and their last common ancestor, from gibbons and orangutans to gorillas, chimpanzees and humans.
different apes of ancient egypt
Maslipithecus This indicates that great apes already lived in North Africa during the early Miocene. It also appears to have been very different from other ape species of the same age found in East Africa.
name Maslipithecus It is a combination of the Arabic word Masr (مصر), meaning Egypt, and the Greek word píthēkos, meaning monkey. The species name moghraensis refers to Wadi Moghra, a fossil-rich area in northern Egypt where members of the Salam Institute recovered remains during field surveys in 2023 and 2024.
Although only part of its lower jaw has been discovered, it contains a combination of features unknown in other great apes of its time. The fossil includes unusually large canines and premolars, molars with round, strongly textured chewing surfaces, and a particularly robust jaw.
“Together, they suggest: Maslipithecus Tailored for versatility. This study interprets its masticatory anatomy as evidence of a flexible diet, primarily fruit-based, with the ability to process hard foods such as nuts and seeds as needed. This flexibility would have been helpful Maslipithecus “This animal was able to thrive during a period when climate change was creating more pronounced seasonality in North Africa and Arabia,” said the study’s lead author Shoruk Al-Ashkar, a researcher at the Center for Vertebrate Paleontology at Mansoura University in Egypt.
New clues from ape family tree
the importance of Maslipithecus It extends beyond its abnormal teeth and jaw. This species also appears to have an important place in the evolutionary history of great apes.
The researchers used advanced Bayesian techniques to combine several types of evidence. They compared the anatomical features of living and extinct apes, the DNA of extant species, and the geological ages of known fossils. This allowed them to estimate how different ape groups are related and when their evolutionary lineages diverged.
Their results show that Maslipithecus It was more closely related to modern apes than any other early Miocene species currently known from East Africa.
The origin of monkeys may point north
The researchers also conducted a biogeographical analysis to investigate where the common ancestor of all modern apes most likely lived. Their findings point to early Miocene North Africa and the Middle East.
At that time, the area occupied a strategically important position. The African and Arabian plates were moving north in the final stages of their collision with Asia. Changes in sea level have sometimes narrowed or removed ocean barriers, creating temporary routes that animals can use to move between regions.
Maslipithecus It helps connect the previously separated fossil records of Africa and Eurasia. Their presence suggests that great apes were already diversifying in the region before they spread across Europe and Asia.
Long-held theories face challenges
Eric Seifert, a paleontologist at the University of Southern California and co-author of the study, said the discovery changes the way we look at the evolution of early apes.
“Throughout my career, I have believed that the common ancestor of all modern apes likely lived in or around East Africa. However, this new discovery, and our new and novel analysis of hominid phylogeny and biogeography, strongly challenges that idea. And importantly, the likelihood of this scenario does not depend on:” Maslipithecus — but it’s very consistent with that. ”
The researchers hope that additional fieldwork in North Africa and the Middle East will uncover more fossils that reveal how modern apes arose and began to diversify.
discovery of Maslipithecus mograensis It suggests that important parts of great ape evolutionary history may remain buried in areas that paleontologists have yet to explore deeply.
