Vastatussa

Vastatussa is a genus of extinct primates that lived during the late Oligocene to early Miocene epoch, approximately 25-20 million years ago. The genus was first described by Swedish paleontologist Erik Jarvik in 1960, from fossil remains found in Sweden and Denmark.

Fossil records of Vastatussa include lower jaw bones, teeth, and limb bones. These remains suggest that Vastatussa was a relatively large primate, with estimates of its body weight ranging from 10 to 20 kilograms. Vastatussa was characterized by a combination of primitive and advanced traits, including a mixture of primitive ape-like and more advanced primate-like features.

The most notable fossil finds of Vastatussa include a nearly complete lower jaw bone discovered in 1965 in Sweden. This fossil, which belongs to the species Vastatussa primigena, provides important evidence for the classification of Vastatussa within the primate order.

Vastatussa is classified as a member of the infraorder Simiiformes, which includes all simian primates. Its exact phylogenetic relationships to other primates are not fully resolved, and further fossil discoveries are necessary to clarify its position within the primate family tree. Nevertheless, Vastatussa provides valuable insights into the evolution and diversification of primates during the late Oligocene and early Miocene epochs.