The Origins of the Primate Order

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The Origins of the Primate Order
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Geological Time Scale

• Eras Periods Epochs
• Mesozoic Cretaceous Maastrichian
• 
  66 mya
• Cenozoic Paleogene Paleocene
• (Early Tertiary) Eocene
• Oligocene
• Neogene Miocene
  23 mya
• (Late Tertiary)
  Pliocene
• 
  Pleistocene

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• Mesozoic Era 245-66 mya
• Cretaceous Period 144 mya - 66 mya
• Cenozoic Era 66 mya-present
• Tertiary Subera 66 - 5.2 mya
• Paleocene Epoch 66 mya 56.5 mya

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Fig. 1 Single tree from parsimony analysis of
combined molecular and phenomic data mapped onto
the stratigraphic record (tables S2 and S3).
M A O'Leary et al. Science 2013339662-667
Published by AAAS
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Fig. 2 Reconstructions of the phenotype of the
hypothetical placental ancestor derived from the
combined data matrix optimized onto the tree in
Fig. 1.
M A O'Leary et al. Science 2013339662-667
Published by AAAS
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• Cladogram of Primate Evolution during the
  Cenozoic Era

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Paleocene Primates

• Carpolestes simpsoni, found in the Clarks Fork
  Basin, Wyoming. Frugivore, with a nail-tipped
  digit. Weight 4 oz.

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• Altiatlasius koulchii, found in 1990 in Morocco.
  Date 56 mya. Thought by Chris Beard to be an
  early anthropoid.