| Noropithecus | |
|---|---|
| Scientific classification | |
| Kingdom: | Animalia |
| Phylum: | Chordata |
| Class: | Mammalia |
| Order: | Primates |
| Suborder: | Haplorhini |
| Family: | †Victoriapithecidae |
| Genus: | †Noropithecus Miller et al. 2009 |
| Type species | |
| Noropithecus bulukensis Miller et al. 2009 | |
Noropithecus is anextinctOld World monkey uncovered from theEarly Miocene formations ofBuluk,Kenya. It is known from a fragment of a rightmandible. It is believed to have beenarboreal andomnivorous.[1]
Thedental microwear ofN. bulukensis indicates it ate grass and leaves, in contrast with its bunodont dentition and previous conclusions based on its dental morphology that it was afrugivore. This discrepancy can potentially be explained by the fact that dental microwear only reflects the diet in the last few days to weeks of an animal's life, and the studied individual may have predominantly eaten fruit in its life while happening to have mainly eaten leaves and grass in the last days of its life.[2]
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