Genus of extinct fossil ape (Hominoidea) found in early Miocene deposits (22-12 mya) in eastern Africa. Proconsul was a quadrupedal, tailless, monkey-sized ape thought to have been adapted to a diet that included soft fruits. An almost complete skull was found by Mary Leakey on Rusinga Island. Consul was a well-known chimpanzee at the London Zoo. Type site: Koru, Kenya. Distinguishing anatomical features include a mosaic of primitive, derived, and autapomorphic features. (see autapomorphy). Proconsul was the most primitive of the early hominoids, and was previously considered a direct ancestor of the modern gorilla and chimpanzee, the African apes. The clade may have originated 31-22 mya.

See Napak, Songhor, Koru, and Mfwangano.