Paleontologists have recently uncovered a groundbreaking genus and species of fossil monkey known as Maslipithecus mograensis, which inhabited northern Egypt approximately 17 to 18 million years ago. This discovery challenges previous notions, indicating that the evolutionary ancestors of modern apes and humans may have emerged at the intersection of Africa and Eurasia, rather than in East Africa.
The current consensus among scientists is that the earliest great apes, known as pedunculated hominids, originated in the Africa-Arabia region during the Oligocene epoch over 25 million years ago. These species diversified and migrated into Eurasia by the Miocene epoch, approximately 14 to 16 million years ago.
However, the origin of modern apes, encompassing all existing species and their last common ancestor, remains elusive due to the scarcity and wide dispersion of relevant fossils from this period.
This uncertainty is compounded by the fragmented fossil record in Africa, where significant discoveries are predominantly localized to a few areas, leaving numerous potential ancient habitats of Miocene apes unexplored.
“Historically, the early Miocene fossil record documenting the evolution of hominids was mainly derived from sites in East Africa, with only long-tailed macaque fossils identified in contemporary North African locations,” stated Showrouk al-Ashkar, a paleontologist from Mansoura University, along with collaborating researchers from Egypt and the United States.
The newly discovered fossil, which dates back to 17 to 18 million years ago, was found in the Wadi Mogra region of northern Egypt.
Named Maslipithecus mograensis, this species significantly enhances our comprehension of the diversity and evolution of early apes during a crucial period when Afro-Arabia began to connect with Eurasia, facilitating the species’ dispersal from Africa.
“Although the fossil remains consist mainly of the lower jaw, they exhibit a unique combination of features not found in other known apes from this era,” the research team reported.
“These features include notably large canines and premolars, molars characterized by rounded and finely textured chewing surfaces, and exceptionally robust jaws,” they continued.
“Collectively, these traits indicate that Maslipithecus mograensis was adapted for dietary versatility,” they added.
Researchers interpreted the masticatory anatomy of this species as indicative of a flexible diet, largely comprising fruits, but capable of processing harder food items like nuts and seeds when necessary.
To ascertain the position of Maslipithecus mograensis within the human evolutionary lineage, scientists employed a modern Bayesian “advanced dating” method, combining both anatomical features and fossil ages to estimate evolutionary relationships and divergence times.
The findings imply that this new species represents a stem hominin closely linked to the lineage that ultimately led to all modern apes.
This discovery reinforces the hypothesis that the origins of modern apes may lie within northern Afro-Arabia, the Levant, or the eastern Mediterranean.
“We dedicated five years to searching for fossils of this nature, as an in-depth examination of the early ape family tree revealed significant gaps, with North Africa serving as that missing piece,” remarked Hesham Salam, a paleontologist at Mansoura University.
For further details, refer to the results published in the journal Science.
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Shoruk F. Al Ashkar et al. 2026. An early Miocene ape living at the biogeographic crossroads of African and Eurasian hominids. Science 391 (6792): 1383-1386; doi: 10.1126/science.adz4102
Source: www.sci.news
