Carpolestes
55
million years ago
We're
getting close to your ultimate primate grandparents. But first, meet one of
your most primordial ancestors, who may have looked like this mole-sized
critter.
Your
Ancestor's Profile Carpolestes is a very early primate, but it has features that set it
apart from the most primitive primates of all, including a nail rather than a
claw on its big toe. Its closest living analogue would be a woolly opossum from
South America. The skeleton this image is based on turned up in Wyoming. When
alive, the animal would have weighed about three-and-a-half ounces.
