Afropithecus

Afropithecus is a genus of Miocene hominoid with the sole species *Afropithecus turkanensis*. It was discovered near Lake Turkana at the Kalodirr site in northern Kenya in 1986 and named by Richard Leakey and Meave Leakey. Radiometric dating indicates an age of 16 to 18 million years, based on studies by Broschetto and Brown from the University of Utah. A total of 46 specimens have been recovered, including cranial, mandible, dentition, and post-cranial remains. The type specimen, KNM-WK 16999, consists of a long snout, facial skeleton, frontal, coronal structure, sphenoid, and adult dentition with procumbent incisors.

Morphologically, *Afropithecus turkanensis* was a large hominoid with relatively thick enamel. It shared postcranial features with *Proconsul nyanzae* but had cranial similarities to *Aegyptopithecus zeuxis* and *Heliopithecus*. Leakey concluded that it was a primitive, arboreal quadruped with a shallow, long, and narrow palate. The dentition revealed a 6.5mm diastema between the second incisor and canine, and thick enamel on molars, distinguishing it from *Kenyapithecus*.

Post-cranial remains include a right fibula, metatarsals, ulna, and hand or foot bones. Morphological analysis suggests a diet of hard fruits, similar to Pitheciidae, contrasting with *Morotopithecus*. The genus was synonymized with *Heliopithecus* by Leakey, further clarifying its taxonomic position.