Athena Review Image Archive ™
Tetonius homunculus skull
Skull of Tetonius homunculus (after )
Tetonius homunculus
was a omomyid primate, dating from the early Eocene period and found in
Wyoming. It is in the suborder Strepsirrhini, the
infraorder Omomyiforms, and the family Omomyidae.
This
species was very small, with an average body mass of about 290 grams.
It has a short snout, with large eyes suggesting it was
nocturnal (Fleagle, 1988). Based on dental morphology, this
species probably had a insectivorous diet. It had
a dental formula of 2:1:3:3 on both the upper and lower jaw. The
cranial capacity of this species was
1.5 cc, with a relatively small frontal lobe
and olfactory bulbs as compared to other strepsirrhines (Conroy,
1990).
References
Conroy, G.C. 1990. Primate Evolution. W.W. Norton and Co.: New York.
Fleagle, J.G. 1988. Primate Adaptation and Evolution. Academic Press: New York.
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