Fossilised Eocene Primate Provides “Missing Link”?

A recently rediscovered fossil of a primate from the Eocene epoch approximately 47 million years ago is providing scientists with a greater understanding of the Eocene primate. The fossil was originally discovered in the 1980s in Messel in Germany and has spent of the most of the intervening in a private collection. The fossil has recently come to light by Norwegian scientists who have studied the fossil and realised its significance. Because the skeleton has been lightly crushed, the bones cannot be handled and the study has been carried out primarily using imaging techniques such as radiography. The fossil has been shown to be the most preserved of a primate from the Eocene epoch and has thrown new light on the primates of the time and may provide the missing link to the ancestry of humans. The fossilised primate is from a previously unidentified genus and species and has been named Darwinus massilae in honour of Charles Darwin. Investigation of the digestive tract shows that the primate fed off leaves and fruit from the rainforest area of the time. After comparative study it is shown that the primate was a female who would have grown to about 900g but died before she was a year old. Further analysis of the fossil and in particular the talus bone in the foot will be necessary to prove that this animal was an anthropoid, and a direct ancestor to humans.