Figure 36.1. The varied 

 lemur, Lemur variegatus. 

 (Courtesy of the American 

 Museum of Natural History.) 



Figure 36.2. The tarsier, 

 Tarsius, found in the East In- 

 dies. Note the large, forward- 

 directed eyes and the adhesive 

 pads on the tips of the digits 

 which facihtate its clinging to 

 the branches of trees. (Cour- 

 tesy of the American Museum 

 of Natural History.) 



the Paleocene and Eocene of Eu- 

 Yope and North America. A com- 

 plete skeleton oi the Eocene lemur, 

 NotJiarctiis, shows that it was quite 

 similar to the modern forms such 

 as Lemur. 



319. The Tarsioids 



The tarsioids are represented 

 today by a single genus, Tarsius, 

 found in the East Indies. Tarsiers 

 are also small, nocturnal and arbo- 

 real; they have large ears and dis- 

 tinctive, enormous eyes, set close 

 together and directed forward 

 (Fig. 36.2). The hind legs are long 

 and specialized for hopping; Tar- 

 sius is noted for its ability to leap 

 great distances through the tree 

 tops. Its toes are long, slender, and 

 supplied with adhesive pads for 

 grasping. Fossil tarsioids have been 

 found in Eocene deposits from 

 both North America and Europe. 

 These primitive tarsioids are inter- 

 mediate in many respects between 

 lemurs and the anthropoids and 

 the latter probably evolved from 

 some early tarsioid group. 



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