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Mesopropithecus
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<p><i>Mesopropithecus</i> is an extinct <a href="/facts/Genus/m8EFjSms">genus</a> of small to medium-sized <a href="/facts/Lemur/lgLEmFnr">lemur</a>, or <a href="/facts/Strepsirrhine/fM0vEzGX">strepsirrhine</a> <a href="/facts/Primate/Hl8RNE2X">primate</a>, from <a href="/facts/Madagascar/ez12IAcY">Madagascar</a> that includes three species, <i>M. dolichobrachion</i>, <i>M. globiceps</i>, and <i>M. pithecoides</i>. Together with <i><a href="/facts/Palaeopropithecus/VrS5ak24">Palaeopropithecus</a></i>, <i><a href="/facts/Archaeoindris/n6ye95lu">Archaeoindris</a></i>, and <i><a href="/facts/Babakotia/VYCLbp5A">Babakotia</a></i>, it is part of the <a href="/facts/Sloth_lemur/uMMrUfmD">sloth lemur</a> family (Palaeopropithecidae). Once thought to be an <a href="/facts/Indriid/yoQLtzpL">indriid</a> because its <a href="/facts/Skull/A9Wp63Np">skull</a> is similar to that of living <a href="/facts/Sifaka/uxrN2mJo">sifakas</a>, a recently discovered <a href="/facts/Postcranial/44CA9mLK">postcranial</a> skeleton shows <i>Mesopropithecus</i> had longer forelimbs than <a href="/facts/Hindlimb/hVIIXoQu">hindlimbs</a>—a distinctive trait shared by sloth lemurs but not by indriids. However, as it had the shortest <a href="/facts/Forelimb/4hLM1JaC">forelimbs</a> of all sloth lemurs, it is thought that <i>Mesopropithecus</i> was more <a href="/facts/Quadrupedalism/KMVYdsYf">quadrupedal</a> and did not use <a href="/facts/Suspensory_behavior/Ma9aVERL">suspension</a> as much as the other sloth lemurs. </p><p>All three species ate leaves, fruits, and seeds, but the proportions were different. <i>M. pithecoides</i> was primarily a leaf-eater (<a href="/facts/Folivore/ANbmpaPa">folivores</a>), but also ate fruit and occasionally seeds. <i>M. globiceps</i> ate a mix of fruits and leaves, as well as a larger quantity of seeds than <i>M. pithecoides</i>. <i>M. dolichobrachion</i> also consumed a mixed diet of fruits and leaves, but analysis of its teeth suggests that it was more of a <a href="/facts/Seed_predator/4Cbuef4k">seed predator</a> than the other two species. </p><p>Although rare, the three species were widely distributed across the island yet <a href="/facts/Allopatric/H6K8mSDf">allopatric</a> to each other, with <i>M. dolichobrachion</i> in the north, <i>M. pithecoides</i> in the south and west, and <i>M. globiceps</i> in the center of the island. <i>M. dolichobrachion</i> was the most distinct of the three species due to its longer arms. <i>Mesopropithecus</i> was one of the smallest of the known extinct <a href="/facts/Subfossil_lemur/zH2drU9V">subfossil lemurs</a>, but was still slightly larger than the largest living lemurs. Known only from <a href="/facts/Subfossil/SJpdD4Fd">subfossil</a> remains, it died out after the arrival of humans on the island, probably due to hunting pressure and <a href="/facts/Habitat_destruction/pyPMkBCY">habitat destruction</a>. </p>