Any member of the genus Dryopithecus , a group of extinct apelike animals.
The species are representative of a group of generalized ape s that includes the ancestors of both the modern apes and humans. Fragmentary materials found over a widespread area, including Europe, Africa, and Asia, have been attributed to other groups but were probably remains of Dryopithecus . Dryopithecines are found as fossils in Miocene and Pliocene deposits (23.8–1.8 million years old) and apparently originated in Africa. Several distinct forms are known, including small, medium, and large ( gorilla -sized). Dryopithecines lacked most of the specializations that distinguish modern apes from humans.