Notharctidae

The Notharctidae were an extinct family of small primates that lived during the Eocene Epoch, approximately 54 million years ago. These primates, including the genus Notharctus, shared similarities with modern lemurs, though their exact evolutionary relationship is debated.1

Fossils of Notharctidae have been discovered in both Europe and North America. These animals possessed long legs and tails, and their hands and feet may have had opposable digits, suggesting they were agile climbers. They inhabited dense, subtropical forests.1

While Notharctus itself is not considered a direct ancestor of living lemurs, the Adapidae family, to which Notharctidae is related, may have given rise to modern lemurs and lorises. Notharctidae became extinct by the end of the Eocene Epoch.21