Tremacebus
Extinct genus of new world monkeys
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Tremacebus is an extinct genus of New World monkeys from the Early Miocene (Colhuehuapian in the SALMA classification). The type species is T. harringtoni.
| Tremacebus | |
|---|---|
 | |
| Skull of Tremacebus harringtoni | |
Scientific classification  | |
| Kingdom: | Animalia |
| Phylum: | Chordata |
| Class: | Mammalia |
| Order: | Primates |
| Suborder: | Haplorhini |
| Family: | Aotidae |
| Genus: | †Tremacebus Hershkovitz, 1974 |
| Species: | †T. harringtoni |
| Binomial name | |
| †Tremacebus harringtoni (Rusconi, 1933) | |
Description
Tremacebus was about 1 metre (3.3 ft) in length, and would have resembled a modern night monkey, to which it is thought to have been related.[1][2] However, its eyes appear to have been smaller than the modern species. In addition, CT scans of the cranium suggest a relatively small olfactory bulb and poor sense of smell compared with night monkeys. These features suggest that it may not have been nocturnal.[3] It had an estimated body mass of 1.8 kg (4.0 lb).[2]
Only a few fossils have been found, including a skull from the Sarmiento Formation, Patagonia.[4]
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