‘THIS FOSSIL WILL BE IN ALL TEXTBOOKS FOR NEXT 100 YEARS’
Beautifully preserved, the fossil, nicknamed Ida, is claimed to be a missing link between today’s higher primates – monkeys, apes and humans – and more distant relatives. The fossil, Darwinius masillae, named to celebrate its place of origin and the bicentenary of Charles Darwin’s birth, sheds light on the human story when the primate family tree split into two branches, one of which ultimately led to humans, and the other to distant primate cousins such as lemurs, lorises and bushbabies.
Described as the “most complete fossil primate ever discovered”, the preservation is so good, it is possible to see the outline of its fur and even traces of its last meal.
