Tag Archives: primate

New Study Shatters Long-Standing Myths About Primate Origins

New Study Shatters Long-Standing Myths About Primate Origins

The first primates were about the size of a mouse lemur: tiny. Credit: Jason Gilchrist Primates originated in cold environments, not the tropics. Their past adaptations reveal insights for conservation today. Many people picture our earliest primate ancestors moving through dense tropical forests, yet new evidence suggests they actually endured cold environments. As an ecologist who has spent years studying …

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Our primate ancestors evolved in the cold – not the tropics

Our primate ancestors evolved in the cold – not the tropics

Most people imagine our early primate ancestors swinging through lush tropical forests. But new research shows that they were braving the cold. As an ecologist who has studied chimpanzees and lemurs in the field in Uganda and Madagascar, I am fascinated by the environments that shaped our primate ancestors. These new findings overturn decades of assumptions about how – and …

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Reexamining the extinction of the largest known primate in history

Reexamining the extinction of the largest known primate in history

An international team of researchers is looking for answers behind the mystery of Gigantopithecus blacki, a giant prehistoric primate that once lived in what is now southern China. The species is known from its teeth and mandibles found in cave sites. The fossils suggest it was the largest primate ever, with estimates of its size ranging from about …

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