Carpolestes simpsoni Temporal range: late Paleocene,
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Scientific classification | |
Domain: | Eukaryota |
Kingdom: | Animalia |
Phylum: | Chordata |
Class: | Mammalia |
Order: | Plesiadapiformes |
Family: | †Carpolestidae |
Genus: | †Carpolestes |
Species: | †C. simpsoni
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Binomial name | |
†Carpolestes simpsoni Bloch and Gingerich, 1998
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Carpolestes simpsoni is an extinct species of Plesiadapiforms, late species of Carpolestes which is one of the earliest primate-like mammals appearing in the fossil record during the late Paleocene. C. simpsoni had grasping digits but no forward-facing eyes.
Weighing about 100 g (3.5 oz), C. simpsoni appeared adapted for an arboreal habitat. One large, nail-tipped toe opposed other toes, allowing a firm grip on branches. Like other species of Carpolestes, the dental morphology of C. simpsoni is specially adapted to eating fruit, seeds, and invertebrates.[1]