Purgatorius - Facts and Figures

Purgatorius - Facts and Figures Name: Purgatorius (after Purgatory Hill in Montana); pronounced PER-gah-TORE-ee-us Habitat: Woodlands of North America Historical Period: Late Cretaceous (65 million years ago) Size and Weight: About six inches long and a few ounces Diet: Probably omnivorous Distinguishing Characteristics: Small size; primate-like teeth; ankle bones adapted to climbing trees About Purgatorius Most of the prehistoric mammals of the late Cretaceous period looked pretty much the samesmall, quivering, mouse-sized creatures that spent most of their lives high up in trees, the better to avoid rampaging raptors and tyrannosaurs. On closer examination, though, especially of their teeth, its clear that these mammals were each specialized in their own distinct way. What set Purgatorius apart from the the rest of the rat pack is that it possessed distinctly primate-like teeth, leading to speculation that this tiny creature may have been directly ancestral to modern-day chimps, rhesus monkeys, and humansall of whom had the chance to evolve only after the dinosaurs went extinct and opened up some valuable breathing room for other types of animals. The trouble is, not all paleontologists agree that Purgatorius was a direct (or even distant) precursor of primates; rather, it may have been an early example of the closely related group of mammals known as plesiadapids, after the most famous member of this family, Plesiadapis. What we do know about Purgatorius is that it lived high up in trees (as we can infer from the structure of its ankles), and that it managed to straddle the K/T Extinction Event: fossils of Purgatorius have been discovered dating both to the late Cretaceous period and the early Paleocene epoch, a few million years later. Most likely, this mammals arboreal habits helped rescue it from oblivion, making accessible a new source of food (nuts and seeds) at a time when most non-tree-climbing dinosaurs were starving to death on the ground.

Near East vs Middle East

Near East vs Middle East Near East vs Middle East Near East vs Middle East By Maeve Maddox Readers often encounter the term Near East and wonder how the term differs from Middle East. Near East is the earlier term and, like Far East, was coined from the western perspective of European writers. The earliest example of the use of Near East in the OED is dated 1856. The earliest use of middle East to refer to the countries of Mesopotamia is dated 1876. The first example in which middle is capitalized is dated 1900. According to the AP Style Guide, the countries of the Middle East are Iran, Iraq, Israel, Kuwait, Jordan, Lebanon, Oman, Bahrain, Qatar, Saudi Arabia, Syria, United Arab Emirates, Yemen, Egypt, Sudan, and the eastern part of Turkey. Noting that popular usage once distinguished between the Near East and the Middle East, AP recommends using Middle East unless a story source uses the term Near East. Here are some quotations from newspapers: The near-east side, compared to what it was when we first moved down there in 2000, its night-and-day different. You have new home The Middle East is one of the most diverse regions in the world. Despite some turmoil in the region, many countries are considered safe for The Middle East is one of the most interesting regions to travel to, due to the diversity of the people and a fascinating ancient history. Although Want to improve your English in five minutes a day? Get a subscription and start receiving our writing tips and exercises daily! Keep learning! Browse the Expressions category, check our popular posts, or choose a related post below:The Yiddish Handbook: 40 Words You Should Know"Latter," not "Ladder"7 Sound Techniques for Effective Writing