Adapidae

Adapidae is a family of extinct lemuroid primates that lived during the Eocene Epoch (56 to 33.9 million years ago). These primates were widely distributed across the Northern Hemisphere, including Eurasia, North America, and Africa.12

Adapiforms are considered among the earliest and most primitive primates in the fossil record. While some classifications group all adapiforms under Adapidae, most divide them into three families: Adapidae, Sivaladapidae, and Notharctidae.1

Adapids inhabited forested environments and were likely diurnal, meaning they were active during the day. They were among the first primates to evolve a larger body mass, which allowed them to consume a diet of fruits and leaves. Some adapiforms shared traits with modern and fossil anthropoids (monkeys, apes, and humans), leading to speculation that they might represent a link between early primates and anthropoids.1

The family Adapidae inhabited Europe during the latter half of the Eocene. Adapis parisiensis, the type genus for the family, was the first fossil primate to be described, though its primate affinities were not recognized for decades. Adapids varied in size, from about 300 grams to as much as 9 kg, and possessed teeth specialized for eating leaves.1