Scientists have discovered a fossilized skull of a tree-climbing ape dating back about 20 million years while looking for fossils in the remnants of an extinct volcano in Karamoja, a semi-arid region in Uganda's northeastern corner.

Preliminary studies determined the tree-climbing herbivore was roughly 10-years-old when it died. Uganda's junior minister for tourism, wildlife and heritage said the skull was a remote cousin of the Hominidea Fossil Ape.


Dr. Martin Pickford displays a sub-complete skull of a fossil ape found in Karamoja region, northeast of Uganda's capital Kampala, during a news conference in Kampala August 2, 2011.   Credit: Reuters/Stringer

20-million year-old ape skull found in Uganda by Elias Biryabarema, Reuters