Egyptian paleontologists seek further clues about ancestors of modern apes

Mansoura, Egypt, Ap 14 (EFE). - Shorouq al Ashqar is still basking in the joy of having named a new species of ape, ‘Masripithecus moghraensis,’ the “grandfather” of those primates that lived in Egypt 17 million years ago and whose mode of locomotion remains unknown. To that end, the paleontologist and her colleagues are now searching for new fossils in the Egyptian desert.

Al Ashqar is leading the research team that, in 2024, discovered the jaw fragment and two teeth that, two weeks ago, allowed the world to confirm the existence of ‘Masripithecus moghraensis,’ an ape that inhabited North Africa during the Miocene and was evolutionarily halfway between the earliest apes, found in Kenya and Uganda, and modern apes.

CAMERA: PÁVEL CARBALLIDO.

FOOTAGE OF THE LABORATORY IN MANSURA, EGYPT.

SOUNDBITES OF:

-HISHAM SALAM, RESEARCHER:

"Based on morphological studies of the fossils we have found, along with genetic studies of modern species, we have concluded that North Africa is the likely place of origin for modern apes before they spread across Europe and Asia. This challenges the old theory that modern apes originated in East Africa, specifically in Kenya and Uganda.”

-SHOROUQ AL ASHQAR, RESEARCHER:

"Based on its teeth, Masripithecus was capable of eating nuts, seeds, and fruits, which made it characterized by dietary flexibility—a trait that was advantageous given the climatic and environmental changes occurring at that time.”