Palaeopithecus

Palaeopithecus

 

a fossil anthropoid ape. It is known from a fragment of the facial part of the skull and an almost full set of teeth discovered in 1879 in northern India in Lower Pliocene deposits of the Siwalik Range of the southern Himalayas. The teeth of Palaeopithecus somewhat resemble those of the gorilla, at the same time retaining certain primitive characteristics. Palaeopithecus differs from the chimpanzee in the structure of the teeth and palate. Some scientists assign Palaeopithecus to the genus Dryopithecus.