Prehistoric ape from Germany was a pioneer of two-legged walking

Twenty-one fossilized bones of the most complete partial skeleton of a male of the extinct ape species Danuvius guggenmosi, which lived about 12 million years ago in southern Germany, is seen in this photo illustration released in Tubingen, Germany on November 6, 2019. Christoph Jaeckle via REUTERS.

WASHINGTON (Reuters) - Fossils unearthed in southern Germany of a remarkable ape that lived about 11.6 million years ago may dramatically alter the understanding of the evolutionary origins of a fundamental human trait - walking upright on two legs.

Scientists on Wednesday said the ape, called Danuvius guggenmosi, combined attributes of humans - straight lower limbs adapted for bipedalism - with those of apes - long arms able to stretch out to grasp tree branches. That indicates Danuvius was able to walk upright on two legs and also use all four limbs while clambering through trees.