| Godinotia Fossil range: Early Eocene |
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†Godinotia neglecta |
Godinotia is an extinct genus of lemur-like prosimians belonging to the Adapidae family. The Eocene epoch (558 ± 02 - 339 ± 01 Ma) is a major division of the Geologic timescale and the second epoch of the Palaeogene period in Chordates ( Phylum Chordata) are a group of Animals that includes the Vertebrates together with several closely related Invertebrates Mammals ( class Mammalia) are a class of Vertebrate Animals characterized by the presence of Sweat glands, including sweat glands A primate is a member of the biological order Primates ( Latin: "prime first rank" the group that contains Lemurs the Aye-aye The Clade Strepsirrhini is one of the two Suborders of Primates One of the most distinguishing characteristic of these 118 species is their Wet Adapids (members of the taxon Adapidae) are a diverse group of extinct primates that primarily radiated during the Eocene epoch between about 55 and 34 million years A chronospecies is a Species which changes physically morphologically, genetically, and/or behaviorally over time on an evolutionary scale such A genus (plural genera from Γένος Latin genus "descent family type gender" is a low-level Taxonomic Lemurs make up the infraorder Lemuriformes and are members of a group of Primates known as Prosimians The term "lemur" is derived from the Prosimians are the most primitive extant Primates they have characteristics similar to forms that were ancestral to Monkeys Apes and Adapids (members of the taxon Adapidae) are a diverse group of extinct primates that primarily radiated during the Eocene epoch between about 55 and 34 million years It lived during the Eocene epoch (49 million years ago), and its fossils have been found in the Messel Pit, Germany, showing that it already exhibited hominid features that would help make the primates such a successful group. The Eocene epoch (558 ± 02 - 339 ± 01 Ma) is a major division of the Geologic timescale and the second epoch of the Palaeogene period in The Messel Pit is a disused Quarry near the village of Messel, about 35 km southeast of Frankfurt am Main, Germany. Germany, officially the Federal Republic of Germany ( ˈbʊndəsʁepuˌbliːk ˈdɔʏtʃlant is a Country in Central Europe. It is one of the earliest-known primates, but the origins of the group remain controversial: some claim that the oldest primate is 70 million years old, but this is based on a single fossilized tooth. The oldest definite primate fossils date from around 55 million years ago and belong to animals that are similar to Godinotia.
The fossils also show that Godinotia was especially vulnerable to attack by crocodiles, which may have grabbed them from riverbanks when they came down from the trees to drink. A crocodile is any Species belonging to the family Crocodylidae (sometimes classified instead as the Subfamily Crocodylinae)
Godinotia were about 30 cm long, excluding the tail, smaller than a domestic cat.
Like all the earliest primates, Godinotia lived up in the trees, where food was plentiful and there were few large predators. To get about and feed, it had excellent binocular vision, long limbs, and grasping hands that it would have used to cling to branches or leap between trees. Their eyes were large, so they were probably nocturnal, and the shape of their teeth suggest that they ate insects and fruit. As an Animal behavior, nocturnality describes sleeping during the Daytime and being active at Night - the opposite of the diurnal Insects ( Class Insecta) are a major group of Arthropods and the most diverse group of Animals on the Earth with over a million described The term fruit has different meanings dependent on context and the term is not synonymous in Food preparation and Biology.
The male and female Godinotia were about the same size as each other, which, if modern species are anything to go by, probably means they were solitary animals that met up only to mate. The large size of Godinotia's penis bone indicates that mating took place over a long period of time (possibly several hours). The male did this to be sure the female would become pregnant by him.
The genus is named after primate researcher Marc Godinot.
References
- Haines, Tim, and Paul Chambers (2006). The Complete Guide to Prehistoric Life. Canada: Firefly Books Ltd. , Pg. 155.
 This prehistoric mammal-related article is a stub. Prehistoric mammals are groups of Mammals that lived before humans developed Writing. You can help Wikipedia by expanding it. |
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