Purgatorius

Purgatorius, speculative reconstruction.

• Hell Creek Formation ( Montana)
• Saskatchewan

Purgatorius is an extinct mammal genus that is considered as the earliest form of a primate or pre- primates and primates similar precursor of Plesiadapiformes was. Remains of Purgatorius, exclusively teeth and jaw fragments were found in the eastern Montana in the Hell Creek Formation, and in Saskatchewan. The genus was named after the Purgatory Hill.

Features

Teeth and jaw fragments are tiny and leave on a very small animal with a weight of slightly more than 20 grams close. The teeth were bunodont (tooth crowns with humps provided ) and had a rectangular contour. This suggests a frugivor - omnivorous feeding ( fruit and omnivores ).

The dental formula was.

System

Purgatorius is considered basal Archon, a clade of giant gliders, tree shrews and primates, or as the oldest representative of the Plesiadapiformes, an extinct, closely related to the mammalian order Primates.

Species

• Purgatorius unio Van Valen & Sloan, 1965
• Purgatorius ceratops Van Valen and Sloan, 1965
• Purgatorius janisae Van Valen, 1994
• Purgatorius titusi Buckley, 1997