Fossil ape. Fossilised skeleton of an Oreopithecus bambolii ape. This was a bipedal primate that inhabited the area that is now Tuscany between about

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Fossil ape. Fossilised skeleton of an Oreopithecus bambolii ape. This was a bipedal primate that inhabited the area that is now Tuscany between about 9 and million years ago. Despite its bipedal stance, it was not a relative of humans. It inhabited forests, and it is thought that it may have brachiated in a similar manner to modern gibbons, swinging from branch to branch with its arms. It stood around 120 centimetres tall. The fossil was found in a lignite mine in Tuscany, Italy.

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Size: 3417px × 5151px
Photo credit: © PASCAL GOETGHELUCK/SCIENCE PHOTO LIBRARY / Alamy / Afripics
License: Licensed
Model Released: No

Keywords: ancient, animal, animals, ape, bambolii, bipedal, bone, bones, extinct, fossil, fossilised, fossils, grossetto, italian, italy, mammal, oreopithecus, palaeontology, paleontology, primate, skeleton, tuscany, upright, vertebrate, vertebrates, walking