Name:
Saadanius (Arabic for "monkey" or "ape"); pronounced sah-DAH-nee-us
Habitat:
Woodlands of central Asia
Historical Epoch:
Middle Oligocene (29-28 million years ago)
Size and Weight:
About 3 feet long and 25 pounds
Diet:
Probably herbivorous
Distinguishing Characteristics:
Long face; small canines; lack of sinuses in skull
About Saadanius:
Despite the close relationship of prehistoric monkeys and apes to modern humans, there's still a lot we don't know about primate evolution. Saadanius, a single specimen of which was discovered in 2009 in Saudi Arabia, may help to remedy that situation: long story short, this late Oligocene primate may have been the last common ancestor (or "concestor") of two important lineages, the old world monkeys and the old world apes (the phrase "old world" refers to Africa and Eurasia, whereas North and South America count as the "new world"). A good question, of course, is how a primate living on the Arabian peninsula could have spawned these two mighty families of largely African monkeys and apes, but it's possible that these primates evolved from a population of Saadanius living closer to the birthplace of modern humans.
