Athena Review Image Archive ™
Tetonius homunculus skull with brain endocast
Brain endocast of Tetonius homunculus
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, but a
relatively large area of visual cortexes, corresponding to its large
eyes (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.
Radinsky,
L.B. 1970. The Fossil Evidence of Prosimian Brain Evolution. In The
Primate Brain. Eds. C.R. Noback and W. Montagna.
Appleton-Century-Crofts: New York.
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