omomyid
- noun
- /ˈoʊməˌmɪd/
- Specialized
- Many omomyids had large eyes for nocturnal vision.
Examples
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Some scientists debate whether omomyids were ancestral to modern tarsiers or anthropoids.
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Fossils of omomyid primates have been found in both Europe and North America.
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The omomyid lineage provides important clues about early primate evolution.
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The omomyid fossils were discovered in Wyoming.
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Fossils of omomyid primates have been found in both Europe and North America.
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The omomyid lineage provides important clues about early primate evolution.
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Many omomyids had large eyes for nocturnal vision.
Compounds
- Specialized
An extinct group of small primates that lived long ago and were active at night like tarsiers
Surface Forms
Morphology
omomyid = Omomys (opaque) = omomy + id
Formed from an obscure genus name plus the taxonomic suffix '-id'; this specialized formation is not guessable by an average learner.
Etymology
The word omomyid comes from the scientific family name Omomyidae, built from the fossil group name Omomys, and the ending -mys comes from an old Greek word meaning 'mouse'. A helpful way to remember omomyids is that they were small, ancient primates, so the name hints at their small size and long-ago existence.
