The evolutionary radiation of plesiadapiforms

Very shortly after the disappearance of the non‐avian dinosaurs, the first mammals that had features similar to those of primates started appearing. These first primitive forms went on to spawn a rich diversity of plesiadapiforms, often referred to as archaic primates. Like many living primates, ple...

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Bibliographic Details
Published in:Evolutionary anthropology 2017-04, Vol.26 (2), p.74-94
Main Authors: Silcox, Mary T., Bloch, Jonathan I., Boyer, Doug M., Chester, Stephen G. B., López‐Torres, Sergi
Format: Article
Language:English
Subjects:
Animals
Anthropology, Physical
Biological Evolution
Bone and Bones - anatomy & histology
Eocene
Fossils
Paleocene
paleoprimatology
Phylogeny
Plesiadapiforms
Primates - anatomy & histology
Primates - classification
Tooth - anatomy & histology
vertebrate paleontology
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Summary:Very shortly after the disappearance of the non‐avian dinosaurs, the first mammals that had features similar to those of primates started appearing. These first primitive forms went on to spawn a rich diversity of plesiadapiforms, often referred to as archaic primates. Like many living primates, plesiadapiforms were small arboreal animals that generally ate fruit, insects, and, occasionally, leaves. However, this group lacked several diagnostic features of euprimates. They also had extraordinarily diverse specializations, represented in eleven families and more than 140 species, which, in some cases, were like nothing seen since in the primate order. Plesiadapiforms are known from all three Northern continents, with representatives that persisted until at least 37 million years ago. In this article we provide a summary of the incredible diversity of plesiadapiform morphology and adaptations, reviewing our knowledge of all eleven families. We also discuss the challenges that remain in our understanding of their ecology and evolution.
ISSN:1060-1538
1520-6505
DOI:10.1002/evan.21526