Photo: sciencedaily
Paleontologists have discovered fossil remains of a previously unknown great ape species, Masripithecus moghraensis, at Wadi Moghra in northern Egypt. The species lived approximately 17–18 million years ago. It is the first reliably identified great ape fossil found in North Africa, ScienceDaily reports.
The discovery was made by an international team of researchers from the Vertebrate Paleontology Center at Mansoura University in Egypt and the University of Southern California in the United States. The study was published in the journal Science on March 26, 2026.
What is known about the new species
The fossil remains consist of material from the lower jaw. It was exceptionally robust, with large canines and premolars. The molars had rounded chewing surfaces with pronounced textures.
Researchers believe Masripithecus primarily ate fruit but could also chew tougher foods, including nuts and seeds. This dietary flexibility may have helped it survive in the more seasonal environments of North Africa and Arabia.
Rethinking the origins of great apes
Phylogenetic analysis suggests that Masripithecus was more closely related to modern great apes than any previously known early Miocene species from East Africa.
The researchers combined anatomical evidence from fossil and living great apes, genetic data from modern species, and the geological ages of the fossils.
An additional analysis of ancient animal distributions identified North Africa and the Middle East as a possible region where the last common ancestor of all modern great apes lived. This group includes gibbons, orangutans, gorillas, chimpanzees and humans.
The authors do not consider Masripithecus a direct ancestor of humans or necessarily a direct ancestor of modern great apes. However, its position on the evolutionary tree suggests that North Africa and the Middle East may have been important centers of early great ape evolution.
