Jörg Habersetzer

• Senckenberg Society for Nature Research

The Messel Pit is a Konservat-Lagerstätte in Germany, representing the deposits of a latest early to earliest middle Eocene maar lake, and one of the first palaeontological sites to be included on the list of UNESCO World Heritage Sites. One aspect of Messel that makes it so extraordinary is that its sediments are rich in different fossilised organ...

Since its first description, only a single undisputed specimen, an isolated, highly abraded m1, was known from the enigmatic amphicyonid Agnotherium antiquum Kaup, 1833. Here, we describe the second specimen of A. antiquum from the type locality of Eppelsheim (early late Miocene, MN 9/10 of Germany), unearthed 184 years after the first description...

All truly thermophilic ants inhabiting the subtropical belts of our planet—Cataglyphis (Formicinae) in the southern Palearctic region, Ocymyrmex (Myrmicinae) in southern Africa and Melophorus (Formicinae) in Australia—are characterised by extremely long legs and remarkable locomotor agility including extremely high running speeds (relative to body...

Background Leaf venation traits are important for many research fields such as systematics and evolutionary biology, plant physiology, climate change, and paleoecology. In spite of an increasing demand for vein trait data, studies are often still data-limited because the development of methods that allow rapid generation of large sets of vein data...

Cross-biome data suggest that leaf venation density increases with decreasing moisture availability. If leaf venation traits were related to climatic conditions in such a predictable manner, these traits could serve, for example, as proxies for the reconstruction of past climates from fossil leaf remnants. However, our knowledge on vein–climate rel...

We describe the skeleton of a pregnant mare of the European equoid Eurohippus messelensis from the early middle Eocene of Grube Messel, Germany, 47.4–47.9 my of age (mammalian chronologic unit MP 11). This is the first detailed description of an individual skeleton of this species since Haupt (Abhandlungen der Hessischen Geologischen Landesanstalt,...

Vein networks that disobey the global scaling of major vein density with leaf size shed light on functional constraints of vein network formation in dicotyledons. Understanding their evolution, distribution and impact on vein–stomata–climate associations is an important contribution to our global view of vein network organization. Based on vein tra...

Beavers are known for their gnawing performance, e.g., felling trees. Even though this is well known, the biomechanics of it are not, and so this is the focus of this study. The lower incisors work as main cutting tools so that their technical parameters were studied. There are 3 angles (adding to 90°) of importance in cutting: (1) the wedge angle,...

The early Middle Eocene locality of Grube Messel, near Darmstadt (Germany), is famous for its complete vertebrate skeletons. The degree of preservation of soft tissues, such as body silhouettes, internal organs and gut contents, is frequently remarkable. The present specimen was analyzed for remnants of the reproductive system. Classic anatomy and...

Significance Melanin is a widespread pigment that provides black to reddish brown hues to organisms. Recent evidence has shown that melanin is retained in exceptionally preserved fossils, including feathered dinosaurs, allowing the reconstruction of ancient color patterns. However, little is known about the chemical preservation of melanin or its d...

X-ray computed tomography (CT) represents a useful technique providing new perspectives and insights for the structural investigation of naturally-deformed rock salt. Several samples of Permian rock salt from Gorleben, Asse and Teutschenthal (Germany) were investigated by exploiting the non-destructive nature of μCT and nCT techniques particularly...

Referring to long-term studies of living lemurs, Sauther and Cuozzo (2012) advanced doubts concerning our interpretation of a serious injury and its consequences for “Ida” (Darwinius masillae)—the famous fossil primate from the early middle Eocene of Grube Messel (Germany) (Franzen et al. 2011, 2012). We appreciate the intense efforts and the immen...

The Grube Messel in Germany (middle Eocene) is a unique and spectacular locality for fossil bats. Messel bat specimens are remarkably abundant (>700 individuals known) and are typically represented by complete ornearly complete skeletons. The most common taxon by far of the four bat genera known from Messel isPalaeochiropteryx. This taxon is repres...

The Grube Messel in Germany (middle Eocene) is a unique and spectacular locality for fossil bats. Messel bat specimens are remarkably abundant (>700 individuals known) and are typically represented by complete or nearly complete skeletons. The most common taxon by far of the four bat genera known from Messel is Palaeochiropteryx. This taxon is repr...

Pedal distal phalanges of the Eocene adapoids Europolemur and Darwinius from Messel and Notharctus from Wyoming have been compared morphologically and metrically to representatives of all six superfamilies of extant primates. A detailed system of morphological types is established that differentiates pedal distal phalanges. Four major groups and 12...

The skeletons of the left and right hands of Ida (Darwinius masillae) were analysed with micro-CT. Evidently, a severe trauma has affected the wrist of the right hand at a time when the carpals were not yet ossified. The background of this accident is discussed.

The phylogenetic and geographic origins of most extant mammalian orders are still poorly documented. Many first appear in the fossil record during the Paleocene-Eocene Thermal Maximum (PETM) at the beginning of the Eocene epoch about 55.5 million years ago (Smith et al., 2006). However, three prominent orders are exceptions to this pattern. Rodents...

Advances in morphological and molecular methods continue to uncover new information on the origin and evolution of bats. Presenting some of the most remarkable discoveries and research involving living and fossil bats, this book explores their evolutionary history from a range of perspectives. Phylogenetic studies based on both molecular and morpho...

Size is the single most important factor affecting physiology, locomotion, ecology and behavior of mammals (MacNab, 2007 and citations therein). Understanding evolution of size is important in all organisms, but especially so in cases like bats which exhibit many energetically expensive behaviors (e.g., powered flight, echolocation, long-distance m...

Despite being internal organs, digestive structures are frequently preserved in Cambrian Lagerstätten. However, the reasons for their fossilisation and their biological implications remain to be thoroughly explored. This is particularly true with arthropods--typically the most diverse fossilised organisms in Cambrian ecosystems--where digestive str...

Energy Dispersive X-ray (EDX) analyses of the digestive structures, cuticle, and matrix in four trilobite specimens from the Middle Cambrian Weeks Formation. Meniscopsia beebei (BPM 1000, BPM 1018, BPM 1020) and Coosella kieri (BPM 1002). Composition is expressed in atomic percentage (%) and the analysed area in square micrometres (µm2). Some eleme...

Mass spectrometry analyses of the matrix of BPM 1001 (Meniscopsia beebei) from the Middle Cambrian Weeks Formation. Concentrations are expressed in parts per million (ppm). Note the extremely low value for P. (DOC)

Detailed descriptions of the specimens. (DOC)

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Évènement majeur de l'histoire de la vie, l'explosion cambrienne représente la mise en place des premiers écosystèmes marins complexes. Cette révolution écologique fut vraisemblablement associée à une complexification des réseaux trophiques, mais cette dernière est toutefois difficile à appréhender en l'absence de données fiables sur les régimes al...

Arising from: N. Veselka et al. Nature 463, 939-942 (2010); Veselka et al. reply Laryngeal echolocation, used by most living bats to form images of their surroundings and to detect and capture flying prey, is considered to be a key innovation for the evolutionary success of bats, and palaeontologists have long sought osteological correlates of echo...

1 The method employed by the Indian false vampire bat Megaderma lyra (body mass about 40 g) to detect and capture prey from the surface of an artificial pond in an outdoor enclosure was studied. Frogs (Rana tigerina) (body mass about 10 g) were used as prey. The bats exhibited searching flights at the surface of the water for a few minutes in darkn...

Skull of Darwinius masillae, new genus and species. (A)- Detailed photo. (B)- drawing of sutures observed on the skull. (C)- Micro-CT of the skull in plate A, viewed from the right side. Rectangle showing area enlarged in D. (D)-Enlarged view of ear region. Dark grey: petrosal. Abbreviations: bocc-basioccipital, cn- crista nuchualis, fr-frontal, j-...

Right forelimb forelimb of Darwinius masillae, new genus and species, compared to those of other Eocene primates. (A)- Notharctus osborni (after [23]). (B)- Godinotia neglecta, holotype (humerus reversed and in cranial view; GMH L-2). (C)-Europolemur kelleri, Messel (SMF-ME 1683). (D)- Europolemur koenigswaldi, Messel, holotype (SMF-ME 1128). (E)-...

Measurements of individual bones of Darwinius masillae. Tables 4–23. (0.24 MB DOC)

Maps showing the provenance of Darwinius masillae, new genus and species, from Messel in Germany. Inset map shows the location of the town and fossil locality of Messel near Frankfurt in the southwestern part of Germany. Larger map shows the locations of Messel primates 1–7 (Table 1) within the Messel oil shale excavation. Messel primate 6 near tur...

Skeletal drawing of Darwinius masillae, new genus and species, showing the identification of vertebrae. Drawing represents the skeleton visible in plate A (Fig. 1,2). Abbreviations: C, cervical vertebra; T, thoracic vertebra; L, lumbar vertebra; S, sacral vertebra; and Ca, caudal vertebra. (0.10 MB TIF)

Cladogram to show systematic position of Darwinius masillae, n. gen., n. sp. based on characters discussed in the text and numbered in Table 3. (4.73 MB TIF)

Right hind limb of Darwinius masillae, new genus and species, compared to those of other Eocene primates. (A)- Darwinius masillae, holotype (plate A; PMO214.214). (B)- Europolemur kelleri (HLMD-Me 7430). (C) - Europolemur koenigswaldi (SMNK-ME 1125). All are scaled to the same femur length for comparison. The upper and lower leg of Darwinius are pr...

Life restorations of Darwinius masillae n. gen., n. sp. Sketches are by Bogdan Bocianowski. (5.44 MB TIF)

The best European locality for complete Eocene mammal skeletons is Grube Messel, near Darmstadt, Germany. Although the site was surrounded by a para-tropical rain forest in the Eocene, primates are remarkably rare there, and only eight fragmentary specimens were known until now. Messel has now yielded a full primate skeleton. The specimen has an un...

[This corrects the article on p. e5723 in vol. 4, PMID: 19492084.].

Die lange Kontroverse, ob in der Evolution der Fledermäuse das Fliegen am Anfang stand oder die Echoortung mit für uns unhörbarem Ultraschall (oder ob sich beide simultan entwickelten), wurde aufgrund eines neuen Fundes – Onychonycteris finneyi – zugunsten der “Flight first”-Hypothese entschieden. Noch im Gestein verborgene Details der Bezahnung, d...

Bats (Chiroptera) represent one of the largest and most diverse radiations of mammals, accounting for one-fifth of extant species. Although recent studies unambiguously support bat monophyly and consensus is rapidly emerging about evolutionary relationships among extant lineages, the fossil record of bats extends over 50 million years, and early ev...

The deciduous dentition and tooth replacement pattern of Palaeochiropteryx tupaiodon from the early Middle Eocene of Messel, near Frankfurt, Germany, are described. Ontogenetic states include fetuses to subadults. The posterior portion of the deciduous dentition (dP3-4) still shows the primitive eutherian condition of molarization, while the anteri...

Measurements and indices employed in describing fossil snake vertebrae are for the first time examined here using morphometric analyses of Recent snakes of various taxonomies and lifestyles. These analyses show that 24 of 25 conventional indices result in too small of an interspecific variance to distinguish species. Correlation matrixes and variab...

The dentition of "Peradectes" from the Messel pit can be analysed using the micro-radiographic method CORR (continuous online recalibrated radiography) even though occlusial views are inaccessible due to the closed jaws. Knowledge of the morphology of the cheek teeth allows for the first time to assign the specimens examined to alphadontid/peradect...

Three vedio sequences showing three-dimensional animations of a complete skeleton and of osseous details are presented. A concept of combining animated macro- and micro-perspectives of fossils is discussed.

A comparison of conventional and digital radiography and tomography techniques for studies on fossils from the Messel Pit is presented. Typical examples for the applicability of a specific recommended technique are given and discussed.

A multimedia-enhanced representation of information about the Messel Pit Fossil Site is introduced. Examples shown include the development of the Messel maar, the position of the site's geological events in a chronological table of the history of the earth, scientific methodology, the taphonomy of Messel fossils and the chronological dates of the p...

The public interest in the World Heritage Messel Pit Fossil Site requires a presentation which is comprehensible, extensive and scientifically sound and can quickly be updated. Based on the image collection of the Messel Research Department of the Senckenberg Research Institute, an open presentation consisting of simply programmable HTML files is i...

A bibliography comprising 1436 publications on geological, geophysical, geochemical and paleontological research in the UNESCO World Heritage Messel Pit Fossil Site is presented. The complete list is provided on the CD-ROM enclosed in this volume. It is available as a Word document with abbreviated journal names and as an EndNote® database with jou...

A partial skeleton of a new fossil microbat, Tanzanycteris mannardi, is the oldest placental mammal found in sub-Saharan Africa. It came from early Lutetian (46 Ma) lake sediments in north-central Tanzania. T. mannardi has enlarged cochleae indicating it was capable of a highly derived form of echolocation. Modern bats sharing similar morphology ar...

A new genus and species of emballonurid microchiropteran,Tachypteron franzeni, is described from the early Middle Eocene (MP 11) of Grube Messel, near Darmstadt, Germany. The holotype is extraordinarily well-preserved. It is the first unequivocal representative of an extant clade among Messel bats and the oldest unequivocal record of Emballonuridae...

The hyaenodontids from the lower Middle Eocene (MP 11) locality Messel are revised. Two proviverrine species with a total of four specimens are preserved. All specimens are juveniles and represent the only described juvenile skeletons of creodonts. A new genus, Lesmesodon, is founded on 'cf. Proviverra' edingeri Springhorn 1982. A second species of...

The serpent-like fossil anguid lizard Ophisaurisctis quadnipes, first reported from the Geiseltal deposits near Halle, is supplemented by eight new specimens from the Grube Messel. The presence of vestigial limbs, some of which are revealed only by x-ray studies in many of the Messel specimens, and the discovery of vestigial limbs in the holotype o...

Wenige Monate, nachdem W, C. Röntgen die „X-Strahlen“ entdeckte, wurden bereits Röntgenaufnahmen von Fossilien in Berlin (Brühl 1896) und in Paris (Lemoine 1896) angefertigt, die jedoch leider nicht bis heute erhalten geblieben sind. Eine Literaturübersicht über die ersten Anwendungen der Röntgenstrahlung in der Paläontologie findet sich bei Stürme...

By their diversified flight apparatus Messel bats occupied specific flight niches similar to those of extant tropical bats. The small Palaeochiropteryx tupaiodon is considered to be most specialized for hunting close to the ground and for hovering inside dense vegetation. Contrarily, Hassianycteris spp. most likely were high and fast flyers in the...

1. YoungHipposideros speoris emit multiharmonic sounds in groups of three to four notes. Newborns emit a relatively uniform pattern of FM- and FM/CF/FM-sounds. From ten days of age onwards the initial sound (first note) of a group is a FM-sound whereas the successive ones are CF/FM-sounds of consistently higher frequencies. At prevolant and volant...

1. Two hipposiderid bats,H. bicolor andH. speoris, were observed in their natural foraging areas in Madurai (South India). Both species hunt close together near the foliage of trees and bushes but they differ in fine structure of preferred hunting space:H. bicolor hunts within the foliage, especially whenH. speoris is active at the same time, where...

1. Myotis myotis was trained to discriminate a plate with 8 mm deep holes from plates of stepwise varied hole depth. Depth differences in the two plates equal or larger than 1 mm were discriminated by the echolocating bat (Fig. 3). 2. In a second series of experiments a plate with 4 mm deep holes was discriminated from other plates with hole depth...

Summary 1.Rhinopoma hardwickei were studied under natural conditions in the Madurai region of southern India.2.Frequency modulated (FM) sounds of 3 ms duration were emitted shortly before landing and during times when 10–70 individuals were flying in clusters as they left their roosts.3.Constant frequency (CF) sounds of 48 ms duration were produced...

The hunting activity of tropical bats was observed during a lunar eclipse at night. During the eclipse, the activity was significantly higher than before and after when the bright full moon was visible. The decrease of hunting activity in bright light is interpreted as a direct adaptation to the light conditions, whereas endogenous factors seem not...

Two bat species, Megaderma lyra and Myotis myotis, were tested behaviorally for the efficiency of their echolocation system. Bats were conditioned to discriminate between two targets, plastic plates with identical pattern of holes of different depths. M. lyra performed 75% correct choices, with hole depth of 8 mm (+) against 6 mm (-). M. myotis suc...

Proefschrift Frankfurt am Main.