#omomyid

[rileycatrocks]

Long ago, after the asteroid that ended the Cretaceous, primates clambered and leaped through the humid forests of North America. Some were lemur-like, but others were small, big-eyed bug eaters called omomyids. These tarsier-like primates lived between 55 and 34 million years ago, more closely related to the primate lineages we came from than lemurs and galagos. This particular representation is on display at the San Diego Natural History Museum. I wish some of these cousins were still here.

[artbyconnorross]

It's been a day of Native American culture for me. First I visited the art exhibit at the campus museum featuring contemporary Native American art, then I downloaded a dozen Native American mods for Civ 6 (and played for hours as the Cheyenne); now I drew a primate with a Native American name. Ekwiiyemakius walshi was described last year by Amy Atwater; its name honors palaeontologist Stephen Walsh, and "Ekwiiyemak" (behind the clouds) references the Kumeyaay peoples' name for the Cuyamaca region of California. I went with an appearance here that is based off several related omomyids as well as modern tarsiers and other small basal primates. There's nothing more to this taxon than teeth; luckily, mammalian teeth are highly distinctive and are actually worth a scientific name most of the time. And of course, this tiny guy (about 120g, or the size of a lesser bushbaby) is sitting in a ginkgo tree, because I like ginkgoes.