The first Proconsul fossil was found in 1927, but it was not until 1942 that Louis Leakey was able to devote much time to studying the Miocene. An enormous wealth of plant and animal fossils was found by the British Kenya Miocene Expeditions between 1947–1950.

When did the Proconsul emerge?

Proconsul is an extinct genus of primates that existed from 21 to 14 million years ago during the Miocene epoch. Fossil remains are present in Eastern Africa including Kenya and Uganda.

When did primates first appear on Earth?

Primates first appeared in the fossil record nearly 55 million years ago, and may have originated as far back as the Cretaceous Period.