Question

When completing this exercise, it may be useful to refer back to Labs 10-12 for information about living primates. In 2009, a new fossil species, called Darwinius masillae, was identified in Germany, represented by a nearly complete skeleton nicknamed Ida (depicted on p. 387 of your lab manual). It lived around 47 mya. It had a small brain, short protruding snout, large eyes, and postorbital bar. Its diet probably included a lot of fruit and leaves. It did not have a dental comb. It had nails instead of claws and was probably an arboreal quadruped. Researchers disagree about whether the fossil is more similar to living haplorhines (tarsiers, monkeys, and apes) or more similar to strepsirhines (lemurs and lorises). The skeleton is about 23 inches (58 cm) long including the tail, and has a body length of about 9 inches (24 cm) without the tail. Describe at least two features that Darwinius shares with living haplorhines.

Answer 1

Answer:

• short protruding snout

• large eyes

• It had nails instead of claws

• Absence of dental comb
• Long tail

Explanation:

Haplorhines and Ida share the following characteristics:

- Both of them have plane nails in their fingers instead of claws. Nails are useful while eating and grooming. They might be necessary for defense too.

- They have a short snout, which is the cause of a poorly specialized olfactive perception.

- Neither of them has the dental comb characteristic of strepsirrhines.

- Eyes are big, located in the frontal area of the skull, and facing front. Vision sense is very developed. They have binocular vision, which allows them to calculate distances.

- The long tail is shared by both groups. Used during motion, to equilibrate, to hold, or grab.