Notharctus

Notharctus; Temporal range: Early-Mid Eocene (Wasatchian-Uintan); ~
	Notharctus tenebrosus
Scientific classification
Kingdom:	Animalia
Phylum:	Chordata
Class:	Mammalia
Order:	Primates
Suborder:	Strepsirrhini
Infraorder:	†Adapiformes
Family:	†Notharctidae
Subfamily:	†Notharctinae
Genus:	†; Leidy, 1870
Species
	†N. pugnax; †N. robustior; †N. tenebrosus; †N. venticolus;
Synonyms
	Hipposyus Leidy 1872; Limnotherium Marsh 1871; Telmalestes Marsh 1872; Thinolestes Marsh 1872; Tomitherium Cope 1872;

Notharctus is a genus of adapiform primate that lived in North America and Europe during the late to middle Eocene.^[1]

*N. tenebrosus* (left) compared to *Plesiadapis cookei* (right), a plesiadapiform. Both come from Eocene Wyoming, though the latter is slightly geologically older (Museum of Natural Sciences, Brussels).

The body form of Notharctus is similar to that of modern rats. Its fingers were elongated for clamping onto branches, including the development of a thumb. Its spine is flexible and the animal was about 40 centimetres (16 in) in length, excluding the long tail.^[2]

There were at least four different Notharctus species.^[1] Fossils from at least seven other potential species have also been discovered.

References

^ ^a ^b Gebo 2002, p. 25.
^ Palmer, D., ed. (1999). The Marshall Illustrated Encyclopedia of Dinosaurs and Prehistoric Animals. London: Marshall Editions. p. 287. ISBN 1-84028-152-9.

Bibliography

Gebo, D.L. (2002). "Adapiformes: Phylogeny and adaptation". In Hartwig, W.C. (ed.). The Primate Fossil Record. Cambridge University Press. ISBN 978-0-521-08141-2. OCLC 47254191.

External links

Mikko's Phylogeny Archive

[FOOTNOTEGebo200225-1] Gebo 2002, p. 25.

[EoDP-2] Palmer, D., ed. (1999). The Marshall Illustrated Encyclopedia of Dinosaurs and Prehistoric Animals. London: Marshall Editions. p. 287. ISBN 1-84028-152-9.

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