Smilodectes
| Smilodectes Temporal range: 55–50 Ma Early Eocene |
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| Smilodectes skeleton. | |
| Scientific classification | |
| Kingdom: | Animalia |
| Phylum: | Chordata |
| Class: | Mammalia |
| Order: | Primates |
| Family: | Nothactidae |
| Subfamily: | Nothactinae |
| Genus: | Smilodectes Wortman, 1903 |
| Species | |
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Smilodectes is an extinct genus of primate that lived in Wyoming. It possesses a post-orbital bar and grasping thumbs and toes. Smilodectes has a small cranium size and the foramen magnum was located at the back of the skull, on the occipatal bone.
It appears during the Eocene epoch, and is thought to be related to lemurs.
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Named species
There are three named species: Smilodectes gracilis, Smilodectes gingerichi and Smilodectes mcgrewi.
Smilodectes gracilis
Smilodectes gracilis was an adapiformes primate from the early Eocene, some 55 million years ago. S. gracilis was found on the land mass of North America and based on its dental morphology, S. gracilis was a folivore.[1]
S. gracilis had a dental formula of 
and had a relatively short snout, with rounded frontal bone as compared to other nothactines.[1] This species lacked symphyseal fusion[2] and this species of primate had comparatively reduced olfactory bulbs and a more expanded visual cortex.[1] This suggests that S. gracilis was a diurnal species.[1] S. gracilis had a cranial capacity of 9.5 cc.[2] It is thought that S. gracilis had an average body mass of around 2.1 kilograms.[1] Based upon its postcranial skeleton, S. gracilis was a vertical clinger and leaper.[2]