"Ida," the small "missing link" found in Germany has created a big media splash and is likely to continue to make waves among those who study human origins.
Ida is a critical missing-link species in primate evolution.
(Primates is the mammalian order to which humans belong. They are also called Placental Mammals. Primates are generally arboreal mammals with a geographic distribution largely restricted to the Tropics.)
The fossil bridges the evolutionary split between higher primates such as monkeys, apes, and humans and their more distant relatives such as lemurs.( http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Lemur)
Ida, properly known as Darwinius masillae, has a unique anatomy. The lemur-like skeleton features primate-like characteristics, including grasping hands, opposable thumbs, clawless digits with nails, and relatively short limbs.
From this time period there are very few fossils, and they tend to be an isolated tooth here or maybe a tailbone there. But in Ida's case, scientists were able to examine fossil evidence of fur and soft tissue and even picked through the remains of her last vegetarian meal: fruits, seeds, and leaves.
To watch the video about this discovery click on the link below:
IDA-the fossil
