Phylogenetic and functional affinities of Babakotia (primates), a fossil lemur from northern Madagascar.
Recent paleontological expeditions to the Ankarana range of northern Madagascar have recovered the partial remains of four individuals of a newly recognized extinct lemur, Babakotia radofilai. Craniodental and postcranial material serve to identify Babakotia as a member of the palaeopropithecids (also including the extinct genera Palaeopropithecus, Archaeoindris, and Mesopropithecus). Living indrids form the sister group to this fossil clade. The postcranial anatomy indicates that Babakotia was a medium-sized (approximately 15 kg) indroid whose inferred positional behaviors were primarily slow climbing and hanging. Although it is probable that a leaping component typified the ancestral positional repertoire of all Malagasy lemurs, the mosaic nature of the locomotor skeleton of Babakotia further suggests that vertical climbing and hang-feeding rather than ricochetal leaping were primitive for indrids and palaeopropithecids and that the dramatic saltatory adaptations of the living indrids postdate the divergence of these two lineages.
Jungers
W L
WL
Department of Anatomical Sciences, State University of New York, Stony Brook 11794-8081.
Godfrey
L R
LR
Simons
E L
EL
Chatrath
P S
PS
Rakotosamimanana
B
B
D000818:Animals; D001842:Bone and Bones / Q000033:anatomy & histology; D003817:Dentition; D005580:Fossils; D007900:Lemur / Q000033:anatomy & histology / Q000235:genetics*; D008270:Madagascar; D008437:Maxilla / Q000033:anatomy & histology; D010802:Phylogeny; D011323:Primates / Q000235:genetics*