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To: AndrewC
Gingerich (summarized in 1977) traced two distinct species of lemur-like primates, Pelycodus frugivorus and P. jarrovii, back in time, and found that they converged on the earlier Pelycodus abditus "in size, mesostyle development, and every other character available for study, and there can be little doubt that each was derived from that species." Further work (Gingerich, 1980) in the same rich Wyoming fossil sites found species-to-species transitions for every step in the following lineage: Pelycodus ralstoni (54 Ma) to P. mckennai to P. trigonodus to P. abditus, which then forked into three branches. One became a new genus, Copelemur feretutus, and further changed into C. consortutus. The second branch became P. frugivorus. The third led to P. jarrovi, which changed into another new genus, Notharctus robinsoni, which itself split into at least two branches, N. tenebrosus, and N. pugnax (which then changed to N. robustior, 48 Ma), and possibly a third, Smilodectes mcgrewi (which then changed to S. gracilis). Note that this sequence covers at least three and possibly four genera, with a timespan of 6 million years.
The Transitional Fossils FAQ. This would seem to be an expansion of Gingerich's earlier claims.
1,699 posted on 03/24/2002 12:01:41 PM PST by VadeRetro
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To: AndrewC; gore3000
Part of the History of the Identification of Notharctus as a Primate (and thus a mammal).
1,701 posted on 03/24/2002 12:19:24 PM PST by VadeRetro
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To: VadeRetro
This would seem to be an expansion of Gingerich's earlier claims.

Yes, it appears to be. It requires more analysis, and it first glance appears to agree with the original chart in some sequence but then "damns" the data because of the explosion of species in the area of jarrovi.

1,703 posted on 03/24/2002 12:32:21 PM PST by AndrewC
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To: VadeRetro
Well, the link gives absolutely no more evidence about how this wonderful macro-evolution took place. No mention is made in it of anything being found to show this connection. So all we still have is teeth which no doubt through super-evo molecular sequencing of non-existent DNA prove not only what the genome of each individual whose tooth was found was, but in addition provides skeletal drawings and complete pictures of the species in question.
1,743 posted on 03/24/2002 3:04:29 PM PST by gore3000
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