Godinotia
Encyclopedia
Godinotia is an extinct genus
of lemur
-like prosimian
s belonging to the Adapidae family. 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. 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 crocodile
s, which may have grabbed them from riverbanks when they came down from the trees to drink.
s and fruit
.
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 (Baculum
) 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.
Genus
In biology, a genus is a low-level taxonomic rank used in the biological classification of living and fossil organisms, which is an example of definition by genus and differentia...
of lemur
Lemur
Lemurs are a clade of strepsirrhine primates endemic to the island of Madagascar. They are named after the lemures of Roman mythology due to the ghostly vocalizations, reflective eyes, and the nocturnal habits of some species...
-like prosimian
Prosimian
Prosimians are a grouping of mammals defined as being primates, but not monkeys or apes. They include, among others, lemurs, bushbabies, and tarsiers. They are considered to have characteristics that are more primitive than those of monkeys and apes. Prosimians are the only primates native to...
s belonging to the Adapidae family. It lived during the Eocene
Eocene
The Eocene Epoch, lasting from about 56 to 34 million years ago , is a major division of the geologic timescale and the second epoch of the Paleogene Period in the Cenozoic Era. The Eocene spans the time from the end of the Palaeocene Epoch to the beginning of the Oligocene Epoch. The start of the...
epoch (49 million years ago), and its fossils have been found in the Messel Pit
Messel pit
The Messel Pit is a disused quarry near the village of Messel, about southeast of Frankfurt am Main, Germany. Bituminous shale was mined there. Because of its abundance of fossils, it has significant geological and scientific importance...
, Germany
Germany
Germany , officially the Federal Republic of Germany , is a federal parliamentary republic in Europe. The country consists of 16 states while the capital and largest city is Berlin. Germany covers an area of 357,021 km2 and has a largely temperate seasonal climate...
, showing that it already exhibited hominid features that would help make the primates such a successful group. 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 crocodile
Crocodile
A crocodile is any species belonging to the family Crocodylidae . The term can also be used more loosely to include all extant members of the order Crocodilia: i.e...
s, which may have grabbed them from riverbanks when they came down from the trees to drink.
Paleobiology
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 insectInsect
Insects are a class of living creatures within the arthropods that have a chitinous exoskeleton, a three-part body , three pairs of jointed legs, compound eyes, and two antennae...
s and fruit
Fruit
In broad terms, a fruit is a structure of a plant that contains its seeds.The term has different meanings dependent on context. In non-technical usage, such as food preparation, fruit normally means the fleshy seed-associated structures of certain plants that are sweet and edible in the raw state,...
.
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 (Baculum
Baculum
The baculum is a bone found in the penis of most mammals. It is absent in humans, but present in other primates, such as the gorilla and chimpanzee.The bone aids in sexual intercourse.-Purpose:...
) 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.