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Reference.org
Victoriapithecus
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<p><i>Victoriapithecus macinnesi</i> was a <a href="/facts/Primate/Hl8RNE2X">primate</a> from the middle Miocene that lived approximately 17 to 15 million years ago in <a href="/facts/North_Africa/ItxQAfs7">Northern</a> and <a href="/facts/East_Africa/WtsAyphI">Eastern Africa</a>. Through extensive field work on <a href="/facts/Maboko_Island/9M5xSBIu">Maboko Island</a> in <a href="/facts/Lake_Victoria/GLQHLh4M">Lake Victoria</a>, <a href="/facts/Kenya/Y9Ko9pQu">Kenya</a>, over 3,500 specimens have been found, making <i>V. macinnesi</i> one of the best-known fossil primates. It was previously thought that perhaps multiple species of <i>Victoriapithecus</i> were found, however the majority of fossils found indicate there is only one species, <i>V. macinnesi</i>. <i>Victoriapithecus</i> shows similarities to the extant subfamilies Colobinae and Cercopithecinae. However, <i>Victoriapithecus</i> predates the last common ancestor of these two groups and instead is thought to be a sister taxon. </p>