First finds of Pleistocene Macaca sylvanus (Cercopithecidae, Primates) from the North Sea

Three fossils of cercopithecine monkeys were recently found on the beaches of Maasvlakte 2 and Hoek van Holland (the Netherlands), initially originating from a source area some 10-20 km off the coast. They are attributed to the Barbary macaque, Macaca sylvanus. The absence of rocky outcrops in the area of the present North Sea area suggests that the animals, which prefer to climb to elevated spots, lived in (partly) forested areas. The age of the fossils is difficult to assess. A mandibular fragment with complete M₃ is suggested to be of Eemian (Marine Isotope Stage = MIS 5e) age, while the two isolated dental elements may be stratigraphically older. Moisture and temperature balancing Atlantic climate influences presumably controlled one or more advances of Macaca from the Mediterranean to NW Europe and the North Sea region.