Researchers have unearthed a fragmented skeleton in Spain which may force them to reconsider their theories on ancestors of all great apes and humans. According to the researchers, the remains belong to new genus and species, Pliobates cataloniae.

The species described in the journal Science suggested that common ancestor of gorillas, gibbons and humans looked more like gibbon that earlier thought. The researchers from Catalan Institute of Paleontology Miquel Crusafont believe that monkeys from Old World and apes split off about 25 million years ago. After that, the Old World apes split off in great apes and gibbons.

David Alba, a paleobiologist at the institute and lead author of the new study, said the gibbon lineage could reveal what all apes’ ancestor looked like, but it is not an easy task as there are not good specimens in the fossil record.

According to the paleobiologist, “These lesser apes must have diverged quite early, like say between 15 and 20 million years ago, but the oldest possible fossil gibbon is only about 7 million years old -- so we are missing most of the history”. There is a large gap in the record, Alba added.

Before the new discovery, it was believed that ancestors of all apes had characters like great ape. Hylobatids, which includes gibbons, were considered red as dwarf great apes. But the new genus is contradicting previous theories. The unearthed skeleton included about 70 bony elements, including pieces of skull and an arm.