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| Paracolobus | |
|---|---|
| Paracolobus chemeroni | |
| Scientific classification | |
| Domain: | Eukaryota |
| Kingdom: | Animalia |
| Phylum: | Chordata |
| Class: | Mammalia |
| Order: | Primates |
| Suborder: | Haplorhini |
| Infraorder: | Simiiformes |
| Family: | Cercopithecidae |
| Subfamily: | Colobinae |
| Genus: | †Paracolobus R.E.F. Leakey, 1969 |
| Type species | |
| †Paracolobus chemeroni Leakey, 1969
| |
| Species | |
| |
Paracolobus is an extinct genus of primate closely related to the living colobus monkeys. It lived in eastern Africa in the Pliocene and Early Pleistocene.[1] Fossils have been found in Kenya and Ethiopia, in places such as the Omo valley.[2]
Species of Paracolobus were large monkeys; P. chemeroni is estimated to have weighed between 30–50 kg (66–110 lb),[3] while P. mutiwa and the comparatively small P. enkorikae have been estimated at 39 kg (86 lb) and 9 kg (20 lb), respectively.[4] Compared to another giant monkey Cercopithecoides, Paracolobus had a longer face and deeper jaws. It had a longer cranium, broader muzzle, wider face and longer nasal bone than its closest relative, the extinct Rhinocolobus.[5] Its dentition was similar to modern colobus monkeys, indicating a largely folivorous diet.[4] Despite its large size, it was probably arboreal like its modern relatives.
Wikidata ☰ Q7133998 entry