FEBUZOIC DAY 3
Morocco - Thanetian stage, 57Ma before present
As the Palaeocene epoch continues, temperatures remain high, and life continues to evolve in the hothouse. The jungles of Jbel Guersif are too thick for giant reptilian predators, and the lush foliage provides food and shelter to the many warm blooded decendents of the survivors of the asteroid impact. Small birds flit through the canopy, and mammalian predators stalk through the branches.
One mammal in particular is moving through the canopy with relative ease and speed: this is Altialtasius, one of the very first primates. To aid her as she climbs and leaps and clambers, her claws have flatterned into fingernails, exposing the pad of her fingers for grip; her eyes are forward facing to help her judge the distance between branches, and she can see in three colours, to help pick out fruit for her to eat. Mammals lost 2 of their 4 cone types during the mesozoic, as they didn't need them for their nocturnal lifestyle. Primates, however, have re-evolved their red cones as the ability to distinguish purples, reds, oranges and yellows from blues, greys and greens is a massive aid in finding fruit in amongst the sea of rainforest leaves.
