Definition of Ramapithecus in English:
Ramapithecus
noun ˌrɑːməˈpɪθɪkəsˌraməˈpiTHikəs
An extinct anthropoid ape of the Miocene epoch, known from remains found in south-western Asia and East Africa, and probably ancestral to the orangutan.
Genus Ramapithecus, family Pongidae
Example sentencesExamples
- In the history of the mammals the Miocene is important for the diversification of the primates and the emergence of the early hominid Ramapithecus later.
- Compared to its Miocene pongid contemporaries, Ramapithecus exhibits distinct anterior tooth reduction both in its incisor and canine dimensions.
- I've wondered about that too, because in 1977 the British Museum published data indicating over 4,000 relevant fossil discoveries, including the australopithecines, Ramapithecus, and so on.
- They were called Ramapithecus and they might have been an ancestor of humans.
- No-one in the field any longer believes that Ramapithecus was our ancestor.
Origin
Modern Latin, from Rama + Greek pithēkos 'ape'.