Shoshonius
Encyclopedia
Shoshonius lived about 50 million years ago during the late early Eocene
era, with specimens found in Central Wyoming
. Shoshonius belongs to the extinct primate
family Omomyidae, and shares many features with modern-day tarsier
s. Due to its complexity, some have theorized that the Shoshonius may be ancestral to modern Hominids.
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...
era, with specimens found in Central Wyoming
Wyoming
Wyoming is a state in the mountain region of the Western United States. The western two thirds of the state is covered mostly with the mountain ranges and rangelands in the foothills of the Eastern Rocky Mountains, while the eastern third of the state is high elevation prairie known as the High...
. Shoshonius belongs to the extinct primate
Primate
A primate is a mammal of the order Primates , which contains prosimians and simians. Primates arose from ancestors that lived in the trees of tropical forests; many primate characteristics represent adaptations to life in this challenging three-dimensional environment...
family Omomyidae, and shares many features with modern-day tarsier
Tarsier
Tarsiers are haplorrhine primates of the genus Tarsius, a genus in the family Tarsiidae, which is itself the lone extant family within the infraorder Tarsiiformes...
s. Due to its complexity, some have theorized that the Shoshonius may be ancestral to modern Hominids.