国际研究团队在埃及北部瓦迪莫格拉地区发现了一种距今约1700-1800万年的古代猿类化石，被命名为Masripithecus moghraensis，生活在早始新世[1]。这一发现由埃及曼苏拉大学脊椎古生物学中心与南加州大学联合完成，研究成果已发表在《科学》期刊2026年第391卷第6792期上[1]。
该化石为下颌骨部分，具有异常大的犬齿和前臼齿、磨牙表面圆形且纹理强、下颌特别坚固等特征[1]。这一发现提供了北非首次明确的猿类证据，研究团队表示该物种与现存猿类的亲缘关系比任何同时期已知的东非物种都更接近[1]。
参与研究的古生物学家Erik Seiffert指出："这一新发现和我们对类人猿系统发育和生物地理学的新颖分析，现在强烈挑战了这一观点"[1]，指的是现代猿类起源于东非的传统理论。研究主要协调人Hesham Sallam表示："我们花了五年时间寻找这种化石"[1]。这项成果表明北非和中东地区在猿类演化过程中扮演着重要角色[1]。
An international research team has identified a previously unknown ancient ape species in northern Egypt that fundamentally challenges conventional understanding of where modern apes originated. [1] The fossil, named Masripithecus moghraensis, was discovered during fieldwork conducted between 2023 and 2024 at Wadi Moghra in northern Egypt and dates to approximately 17–18 million years ago during the Early Miocene epoch. [1]
The specimen consists of partial jawbone material exhibiting distinctive anatomical features, including unusually large canine and premolar teeth, molars with rounded cusps and pronounced ridging, and a notably robust mandible. [1] Researchers from Mansoura University's Vertebrate Paleontology Center and the University of Southern California determined that Masripithecus shares closer evolutionary relationships with living ape species than any known contemporary East African primate. [1]
According to paleontologist Erik Seiffert, "This new discovery and our novel analyses of ape phylogeny and biogeography now strongly challenge" the prevailing view that modern apes originated exclusively in East Africa. [1] This finding provides the first definitive evidence of apes in North Africa and suggests that the region, along with the Middle East, played a significant role in ape evolution. [1]
Hesham Sallam, a lead researcher on the project, noted that "we spent five years searching for this fossil," underscoring the considerable effort required to uncover this key piece of paleontological evidence. [1] The research was published in Science in 2026. [1]