Sivapithecus sivalensis

Sivapithecus sivalensis is one of the three species generally recognised in the extinct Miocene ape genus Sivapithecus and lived from about 9.5 million to 8.5 million years ago. It was found on the Pothwar plateau in Pakistan as well as in parts of India. The animal was about the size of a chimpanzee but had the facial morphology of an orangutan, and the toothwear pattern shows that it ate soft fruit. It was probably mainly arboreal, although the wrist shape and body proportions of the genus suggest that Sivapithecus spent a significant amount of its time on the ground as well as in trees. A partial skull from the Potwar Plateau described in 1982, specimen GSP 15000, strengthened the idea that the genus was closely related to orangutans, though other researchers say that the dental characteristics and postcranial skeleton do not confirm that position.