Pliopithecidae

Pliopithecidae is a family of extinct primates that existed in Eurasia and Africa during the Middle to Late Miocene epochs (9-10.5 million years ago). They were small- to medium-sized primates and were among the earliest, if not the first, primates to possess monkey-like adaptations to an arboreal lifestyle, such as grasping hands and feet and a prehensile tail. Pliopithecids are significant in paleoanthropology and paleontology because they represent an important link between the extinct early primates and the living anthropoid primates (monkeys, apes, and humans). Their fossil remains can tell us about the evolution of arboreal adaptations, locomotion, and nutrition in the lineage leading to modern primates. They also provide insight into the ancient environments and climates where these primates lived.