Teilhardina: Research Database
Primates · Early Eocene (~55-50 MYA) · Asia — China, Belgium, USA
Research Note: Teilhardina was a small early primate from the Early Eocene of Asia, Europe, and North America — one of the oldest known primates and an important taxon for understanding the early evolution of primates and the Paleocene-Eocene thermal maximum.
| Research Finding | Status | Grade | Year | Method | Citation | Impact |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
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Gebo et al. 2012: Teilhardina and new data on early primate evolution in the Eocene
Gebo et al. 2012 provide comprehensive data on Teilhardina from the Early Eocene, establishing it as one of the oldest known primates and documenting primate evolution during the Eocene thermal maximum
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Confirmed | A | 2012 | Fossil | Gebo et al., Journal of Human Evolution | Evolution |
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Gingerich 1986: Teilhardina and new data on early primates from the Eocene of Europe and Asia
Gingerich 1986 provides foundational data on Teilhardina and early primate evolution during the Eocene
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Confirmed | B | 1986 | Fossil | Gingerich, Folia Primatologica | Systematics |
Active Debate: Primate Origins and the Eocene Thermal Maximum
Whether the early primates like Teilhardina were arboreal or terrestrial is debated. The evolutionary relationships between early primates and the ecological context of the Paleocene-Eocene thermal maximum are key to understanding primate origins.
The dispersal of early primates across continents during the Eocene — and the role of climatic events in primate evolution — is still being understood.
What We Still Do Not Know About Teilhardina
- Complete skeletal morphology: Small specimens known.
- Diet: Likely insectivorous/frugivorous.
- Social behavior: No direct evidence.
- Color: Unknown.
In Depth
Teilhardina is a genus of small primate that is known to have existed during the early Eocene. Perceived to have been similar to a marmoset, fossils of Teilhardina have been reported from Belgium, France and China, but are particularly common from the USA.
Further Reading
- Early Eocene Teilhardina brandti: oldest omomyid primate from North America. - Contributions from the Museum of Paleontology, University of Michigan 28(13):321-326. - P. D. Gingerich - 1993. - A euprimate skull from the early Eocene of China. - Nature 427:65-68 - X. -J. Ni, Y.-Q. Wang, Y.-M. Hu & C.-K. Li - 2004. - Rapid Asia-Europe-North America geographic dispersal of earliest Eocene primate Teilhardina during the Paleocene-Eocene Thermal Maximum. - Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences 103 (30): 11223. - T. Smith, K. D. Rose & P. D. Gingerich - 2006. - The oldest North American primate and mammalian biogeography during the Paleocene-Eocene Thermal Maximum. - Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences 105 (10): 3815. - K. C. Beard - 2008. – New fossils, systematics, and biogeography of the oldest known crown primate Teilhardina from the earliest Eocene of Asia, Europe, and North America. – Journal of Human Evolution. – Paul E. Morse, Stephen G.B. Chester, Doug M. Boyer, Thierry Smith, Richard Smith, Paul Gigase & Jonathan I. Bloch – 2018.
