Tremacebus
Encyclopedia
Tremacebus harringtoni is an extinct species of New World monkey
.
Tremacebus was about 1 metres (3.3 ft) in length, and would have resembled a modern night monkey
, to which it may have been related. However, its eyes appear to have been smaller than the modern species, CT scans of the cranium suggest a relatively small olfactory bulb
and poor sense of smell, compared with night monkeys. These features suggest that it may not have been nocturnal.
Only a few fossil
s have been found, including a skull from Patagonia
.
New World monkey
New World monkeys are the five families of primates that are found in Central and South America: Callitrichidae, Cebidae, Aotidae, Pitheciidae, and Atelidae. The five families are ranked together as the Platyrrhini parvorder and the Ceboidea superfamily, which are essentially synonymous since...
.
Tremacebus was about 1 metres (3.3 ft) in length, and would have resembled a modern night monkey
Night monkey
The night monkeys, also known as the owl monkeys or douroucoulis, are the members of the genus Aotus of New World monkeys . They are widely distributed in the forests of Central and South America, from Panama south to Paraguay and northern Argentina...
, to which it may have been related. However, its eyes appear to have been smaller than the modern species, CT scans of the cranium suggest a relatively small olfactory bulb
Olfactory bulb
The olfactory bulb is a structure of the vertebrate forebrain involved in olfaction, the perception of odors.-Anatomy:In most vertebrates, the olfactory bulb is the most rostral part of the brain. In humans, however, the olfactory bulb is on the inferior side of the brain...
and poor sense of smell, compared with night monkeys. These features suggest that it may not have been nocturnal.
Only a few fossil
Fossil
Fossils are the preserved remains or traces of animals , plants, and other organisms from the remote past...
s have been found, including a skull from Patagonia
Patagonia
Patagonia is a region located in Argentina and Chile, integrating the southernmost section of the Andes mountains to the southwest towards the Pacific ocean and from the east of the cordillera to the valleys it follows south through Colorado River towards Carmen de Patagones in the Atlantic Ocean...
.