Notopithecidae
Extinct family of mammals
Notopithecidae is a family of typotherine notoungulates known from Paleogene deposits of the San Juan Formation, Argentina. The name of the clade derives from an error, Florentino Ameghino assumed the namesake of the family, Notopithecus, was a primate.
01Description
Notopithecids had low crowned teeth and relatively underived dentition when compared to later typotheres. They had brachyodont molars. They most likely walked plantigrade, indicated by an astragalar foramen and a shallow and asymmetric trochela.
02Classification
Notopithecidae has had some debate as to whether it is even a valid family, occasionally being placed within Interatheriidae. However, most literature supports Notopithecidae being its own family.
Sources and credits
This article is adapted from the Wikipedia article “Notopithecidae”, written by its contributors and licensed under CC BY-SA 4.0. Fathomly has changed the layout, removed citation markers, navigation and maintenance notices, and adjusted punctuation. This adapted version is shared under the same license. For references, see the original article.
Images, from Wikimedia Commons:
- Notopithecus.jpg by Ghedoghedo, CC BY-SA 3.0
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