Two ancient monkeys from Alberta that lived 60 million years ago have been found by researchers

 By Jonathon Sharp

January 28, 2023

Two little primates lived in the Calgary region around 60 million years ago, when southern Alberta was a humid subtropical swamp, maybe crawling through the old trees and picking fruit with their fingertips.

The two new species were found by a new study that was published this month in the Journal of Paleontology using fossils that were collected from a few different locations between Calgary and Cochrane. The findings offer a fuller understanding of the diversity of prehistoric mammals that emerged after the extinction of the dinosaurs.

The study was co-authored by Craig Scott, the director of preservation and research at the Royal Tyrrell Museum in Drumheller. It included researchers from all over the world.

The fact that primates were recognised from such a long time ago "may surprise a lot of people," he added. And here in Western Canada, we discover them.

Edworthia greggi and Ignacius glenbowensis were two types of extinct primates that weren't apes. They had long faces and eyes that were directed toward the sides of their skulls, and they resembled miniature lemurs in size.

Scott speculated, "They were presumably eating fruit." We can infer that they were potentially arboreal, dwelling in trees, based on observations of other closely related tiny primates.

The form of fossilised teeth allowed scientists to recognise the new species since enamel is the strongest and most resilient tissue in a mammal.

Scott and his colleagues researched several fossils discovered over the previous three decades and described ourselves as "basically paleo-dentists," he added.

Four locations, including an exposed cutbank by West Nose Creek in northwest Calgary and a rail cut along Coch.

rane's eastern fringe, were where the new species was discovered.

Two other locations, including one at ., are situated between the two villages along the north bank of the Bow River, giving one of the species its common name of "glenbowensis."

Scott claims that the fossil record in Alberta shows an expanding variety of ancient species, including dinosaurs and the archaic primates he helped identify.

With regard to early primates in particular, the finding of these new species aids scientists in filling in the gaps in their knowledge of evolutionary history.

The two new species are believed to have existed between 66 and 56 million years ago, during the Paleocene period, following the cataclysmic extinction of the dinosaurs.

The little primates would not have encountered one another in the old forests since Edworthia Greggi, one of the species, is considered to be a little older than the other, Scott said.

Both species are part of a group of extinct primates that ranged widely throughout the globe, from the southeastern United States to the High Arctic. This group eventually went extinct, much like the majority of the evolutionary tree's branches.

We have a genuine stake in better comprehending that as humans, Scott added.

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