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Omomyidae
Omomyidae is a group of early primates that radiated during the Eocene epoch between about (mya). Fossil omomyids are found in North America, Europe & Asia making it one of two groups of Eocene primates with a geographic distribution spanning holarctic continents, the other being the adapids (family Adapidae). Early representatives of the Omomyidae and Adapidae appear suddenly at the beginning of the Eocene (56 mya) in North America, Europe, and Asia, and are the earliest known crown primates. Etymology The Omomyidae are named after the type genus '' Omomys''. While the etymology of this genus is uncertain, it most likely derives from the Ancient Greek ὠμός (ōmós), "raw, crude" + μῦς (mûs), "mouse". Characteristics Features that characterize many omomyids include large orbits (eye sockets), shortened rostra and dental arcades, loss of anterior premolars, cheek teeth adapted for insectivorous or frugivorous diets, and relatively small body mass (i.e., less than 500 ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Necrolemur
''Necrolemur'' is a small bodied omomyid with body mass estimations ranging from 114 grams to 346 grams. ''Necrolemur''’s teeth feature broad basins and blunt cusps, suggesting their diet consisted of mostly soft fruit, though examination of microwear patterns suggests that populations from lower latitudes also consumed insects and gums. While they do not sport a true tooth comb like modern lemurs, microwear patterns on their lower incisors suggest they engaged in fur grooming behaviors. Like tarsiers Tarsiers ( ) are haplorhine primates of the family Tarsiidae, which is itself the lone extant family within the infraorder Tarsiiformes. Although the group was once more widespread, all of its species living today are found in Maritime Southeast ..., ''Necrolemur'' had large, front-facing, close set eyes and were likely nocturnal. Analysis of cranial and postcranial fossils by paleontologists suggest members of the family Omomyidae, including the genus ''Necrolemur'', possessed h ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Anaptomorphinae
Anaptomorphinae is a pre-historic group of primates known from Eocene fossils in North America and Europe and later periods of Paleocene Asia, and are a sub-family of omomyids. The anaptomorphines is a paraphyletic group consisting of the two tribes Trogolemurini and Anaptomorphini. Anaptomorphine radiation in Wyoming, one of the most detailed records of changes within populations and between species in the fossil record, has provided remarkable evidence of transitional fossils. Description '' Teilhardina'' is the most primitive of the anaptomorphines with respect a number of dental features (e.g. four premolars and relatively unreduced canine). Most scientists recognize at least fourteen ''genera'' of anaptomorphine. The probable lineages of ''Tetonius'', ''Absarokius'' and ''Anemorhysis'' evolved from ''Teilhardinia'' or a closely related form from North America. ''Tetonius'' and ''Shoshonius'' have been classified as belonging to the Tarsiiformes, and are therefore not close ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Teilhardina
''Teilhardina'' (, ) was an early marmoset-like primate that lived in Europe, North America and Asia during the Early Eocene epoch, about 56-47 million years ago. The paleontologist George Gaylord Simpson is credited with naming it after the French paleontologist, Jesuit and philosopher Teilhard de Chardin. Paleobiology Carbon isotope excursion suggests that the Asian ''Teilhardina asiatica'' is the oldest member of the genus; the youngest is the North American ''Teilhardina brandti''. However finds in Wyoming suggest ''Teilhardina'' may have originated in North America. There are four hypotheses that have been proposed to try and explain the geographic distribution: # Africa was the origination of the primates and then they dispersed to Europe- Greenland and finally North America. # Primates originated in North America then dispersed to Asia through the Bering route and later passed through Greenland to finally reach Europe. # Primates originated in Asia or Africa and disper ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Shoshonius
''Shoshonius'' (named after the Shoshone tribe) is an extinct genus of omomyid primate that lived during the Eocene (~56-34 million years ago). Specimens identified as ''Shoshonius'' have been found exclusively in central Wyoming and the genus currently includes two species, ''Shoshonius cooperi'', described by Granger in 1910, and ''Shoshonius bowni'', described by Honey in 1990. The type specimen of ''S. cooperi'' is AMNH 14664, a right maxillary fragment preserving P3-M3. The type specimen of ''S. bowni'' is USGS 2020, a right maxillary fragment preserving M1-3. Based on elements of the postcranial skeleton, ''Shoshonius'' is inferred to be a generalized, arboreal quadruped with some affinities for vertical climbing and leaping. Additionally, dental morphology suggests the diet of ''Shoshonius'' was primarily insectivorous A robber fly eating a hoverfly An insectivore is a carnivorous animal or plant that eats insects. An alternative term is entomophage, which ca ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Largest Prehistoric Animals
The largest prehistoric animals include both vertebrate and invertebrate species. Many of them are described below, along with their typical range of size (for the general dates of extinction, see the link to each). Many species mentioned might not actually be the largest representative of their clade due to the incompleteness of the fossil record and many of the sizes given are merely estimates since no complete specimen have been found. Their body mass, especially, is largely conjecture because soft tissue was rarely fossilized. Generally the size of extinct species was subject to energetic and biomechanical constraints. Non-mammalian synapsids (Synapsida) Caseasaurs (Caseasauria) The herbivorous ''Alierasaurus'' was the largest caseid and the largest amniote to have lived at the time, with an estimated length around . '' Cotylorhynchus hancocki'' is also large, with an estimated length and weight of at least and more than . Edaphosaurids (Edaphosauridae) The larges ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Archicebidae
''Archicebus'' is a genus of fossil primates that lived in the early Eocene forests (~55.8–54.8 million years ago) of what is now Jingzhou in the Hubei Province in central China, discovered in 2003. The only known species, ''A. achilles'', was a small primate, estimated to weigh about , and is the only known member of the family Archicebidae. When discovered, it was the oldest fossil haplorhine primate skeleton found, appearing to be most closely related to tarsiers and the fossil omomyids, although ''A. achilles'' is suggested to have been diurnal, whereas tarsiers are nocturnal. Resembling tarsiers and simians (monkeys, apes, and humans), it was a haplorhine primate, and it also may have resembled the last common ancestor of all haplorhines as well as the last common ancestor of all primates. Its discovery further supports the hypothesis that primates originated in Asia, not in Africa. Etymology ''Archicebus achilles'' was named for being the oldest-known prim ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Paleocene
The Paleocene, ( ) or Palaeocene, is a geological epoch (geology), epoch that lasted from about 66 to 56 mya (unit), million years ago (mya). It is the first epoch of the Paleogene Period (geology), Period in the modern Cenozoic Era (geology), Era. The name is a combination of the Ancient Greek ''palaiós'' meaning "old" and the Eocene Epoch (which succeeds the Paleocene), translating to "the old part of the Eocene". The epoch is bracketed by two major events in Earth's history. The K–Pg extinction event, brought on by Chicxulub impact, an asteroid impact and possibly volcanism, marked the beginning of the Paleocene and killed off 75% of living species, most famously the non-avian dinosaurs. The end of the epoch was marked by the Paleocene–Eocene Thermal Maximum (PETM), which was a major climatic event wherein about 2,500–4,500 gigatons of carbon were released into the atmosphere and ocean systems, causing a spike in global temperatures and ocean acidification. In the Pal ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Nocturnal
Nocturnality is an animal behavior characterized by being active during the night and sleeping during the day. The common adjective is "nocturnal", versus diurnal meaning the opposite. Nocturnal creatures generally have highly developed senses of hearing, smell, and specially adapted eyesight. Some animals, such as cats and ferrets, have eyes that can adapt to both low-level and bright day levels of illumination (see metaturnal). Others, such as bushbabies and (some) bats, can function only at night. Many nocturnal creatures including tarsiers and some owls have large eyes in comparison with their body size to compensate for the lower light levels at night. More specifically, they have been found to have a larger cornea relative to their eye size than diurnal creatures to increase their : in the low-light conditions. Nocturnality helps wasps, such as ''Apoica flavissima'', avoid hunting in intense sunlight. Diurnal animals, including squirrels and songbirds, are active du ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
