Proconsul africanus is a species of extinct primates that lived in East Africa about 23 to 25 million years ago. It is also known as the African proconsul and is widely considered to be the ancestor of modern apes and humans. The term "proconsul" is derived from the Latin words "pro" and "consul", which mean "in place of" and "consul" respectively. Therefore, synonyms for Proconsul africanus could include "African proconsul", "ape ancestor", or "East African primate". These terms all refer to this important species of primate and its role in the evolutionary history of modern primates.