Thursday, May 21, 2009

UPDATE: Ida takes New York by Storm...


















The newly claimed primate genus and species Darwinius masillae, said to be an ancestor of humans. The fossil dates to 47 million years ago. The abdomen contains organic remains of food in the digestive tract. You can see the trace of the fur. Found in the Messel Pit in Germany (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Messel_Pit) The skeleton was split into two parts before scientists put it all back together, leading to today's announcement.

The area around the Messel Pit is believed to have been geologically and tectonically active during the Eocene, leading scientists hypothesize that events much like 1986 volcanic gas releases at Lake Nyos, Africa could account for the large deposition of non-aquatic species. Periodic subsurface shifts possibly released large concentrations of reactive gases (such as carbon dioxide and hydrogen sulfide) into the lake and adjoining ecosystems, killing susceptible organisms. During these releases, birds and bats might have fallen in if near the lake surface, and terrestrials could be overwhelmed when near the lake shore.


Kingdom:
Animalia
Phylum:
Chordata
Class:
Mammalia
Order:
Primates
Family:
Notharctidae
Subfamily:
Cercamoniinae
Genus:
Darwinius

You will find a long article in the wikipedia this week.

WIKI: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Darwinius_masillae



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