Darwinius
Sign in to saveDarwinius is a genus within the infraorder Adapiformes, a group of basal strepsirrhine primates from the middle Eocene epoch. Its only known species, Darwinius masillae, lived approximately 47 million years ago (Lutetian stage) based on dating of the fossil site.
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- Taxonomy
- Concerns over cladistic analysis
- Type specimen
- Palaeopathology
- Discovery and acquisition
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Darwinius is a genus within the infraorder Adapiformes, a group of basal strepsirrhine primates from the middle Eocene epoch. Its only known species, Darwinius masillae, lived approximately 47 million years ago (Lutetian stage) based on dating of the fossil site.
The only known fossil, called Ida, was discovered in 1983 at the Messel pit, a disused quarry near the village of Messel, about 35 km (22 mi) southeast of Frankfurt, Germany. The fossil, divided into a slab and partial counterslab after the amateur excavation and sold separately, was not reassembled until 2007. The fossil is of a juvenile female, approximately overall length, with the head and body length excluding the tail being about . It is estimated that Ida died at about 80–85% of her projected adult body and limb length.