Kingdom Animalia Class Mammalia Superfamily Hominoidea | Phylum Chordata Order Primates | |
Family Proconsulidae (extinct) | ||
Ugandapithecus major is an extinct hominid primate of the disputed genus Ugandapithecus. Prior to 2000 it was known as Proconsul major and some argue against the renaming.
U. major is one of two large hominids that inhabited the region around Moroto, Uganda, the other being Proconsul.
Fossil Finds
A nearly complete fossilized U. major skull estimated to be 20 million years old was found at the Napak XV site near Iriri on the slope of the extinct Napak Volcano in July 2011 by team led by Martin Pickford and Brigitte Senut. After a year of cleaning, documentation and reconstruction in Paris, the skull fragments are now on display in the Uganda Museum in Kampala.
Previously, only smaller pieces of younger fossils had been found at Napak and at the Moroto I site near Loitakero.