Dryopithecus is a genus of extinct great apes from the middle–late Miocene boundary of Europe 12.5 to 11.1 million years ago (mya).

The face was similar to gorillas, and males had longer canines than females, which is typically correlated with high levels of aggression.

European great apes likely went extinct during a drying and cooling trend in the Late Miocene which caused the retreat of warm-climate forests.

The genus name Dryopithecus comes from Ancient Greek drus 'oak tree' and pithekos 'ape' because the authority believed it inhabited an oak or pine forest in an environment similar to modern day Europe.

But it is useless to speculate on this subject; for two or three anthropomorphous apes, one the Dryopithecus of Lartet, nearly as large as a man, and closely allied to Hylobates, existed in Europe during the Miocene age; and since so remote a period the earth has certainly undergone many great revolutions, and there has been ample time for migration on the largest scale.

[3] In 1965, English palaeoanthropologist David Pilbeam and American palaeontologist Elwyn L. Simons separated the genus–which included specimens from across the Old World at the time–into three subgenera: Dryopithecus in Europe, Sivapithecus in Asia, and Proconsul in Africa.

[17] Dryopithecini is either regarded as an offshoot of orangutans (Ponginae),[18] an ancestor to African apes and humans (Homininae),[19][20][21] or its own separate branch (Dryopithecinae).

[23][3][24] Based on measurements of the femoral head of the Spanish IPS41724, the living weight for a male Dryopithecus was estimated to be 44 kg (97 lb).

Like in bonobos, the shaft bows outward, and the insertion for the triceps and deltoids was poorly developed, suggesting Dryopithecus was not as adept to suspensory behaviour as orangutans.

[25] The remains of Dryopithecus are often associated with several large mammals, such as proboscideans (e. g., though not limited to, Gomphotherium), rhinoceroses (e. g., Lartetotherium), suids (e. g., Listriodon), bovids (e. g., Miotragocerus), equids (e. g., Anchitherium), hyaenids (e. g., Protictitherium), and felids (e. g., Pseudaelurus).

Increasing seasonality and dry spells in the Mediterranean region and the emergence of a Mediterranean climate likely caused the replacement of forestland and woodland by open shrubland; and the uplift of the Alps caused tropical and warm-climate vegetation in Central Europe to retreat in favor of mid-latitude and alpine flora.