The remains of first primate-like fossils unearthed in the Arctic

Till date, scientists were unsure about where and when primates such as monkeys, lemurs, apes, and chimpanzees emerge from. However, it looks like they finally have an answer to it.  

Recently, a group of Canadian and American scientists discovered the fossils of two newly identified species of the earliest primates from the Canadian Arctic region. Turns out, they lived more than 52 million years ago (during the Eocene epoch) in an area now barren, rocky, with frigid wilderness, covered in thick glaciers. But back then, it was full of dense forests and a temperate to tropical climate such as the modern-day Savannah, making it suitable for primates to thrive. This study was published in the journal PLOS ONE.  

So far, dozens of teeth, jaw bones, and ribcages have been dug up in northern Canada and these remains belong to the first ever primate-like mammals traced to the Arctic. Initial analysis suggests that these animals were small and tree-dwelling and were able to suit themselves to the intense warming of the Arctic, that eventually pushed them and other prehistoric animals from that age further north. Their strong jaws and teeth also imply that they were well-suited to eating hard foods such as seeds and nuts.  

But these aren’t why the study has caught everyone’s attention around the world. Okay, so why did it? Because the success of the primates to survive in warming Arctic climate of the past could help present-day scientists to better understand how and where today’s living species might relocate amidst the ongoing climate change. It also sheds light on the evolution of a particular now-extinct genus called Ignacius and where exactly do they fit between humans and primates. At present, they only know that ancient flying lemurs carried this gene. However, nothing more was known about it in absence of their fossils until today. 

Okay, so what changed now? Well, as it turns out, the recently discovered remains of the primate-like creatures have been revealed to carry this specific Ignacius gene. Earlier, they were only thought to live in the middle latitudes, but this latest finding changes that; considering Arctic is one of the highest latitudes on the planet. So, it seems that now the scientists can better expand their research. 

Considering the recently discovered ancient primates have the Ignacius gene, they have been ideally named Ignacius mckennai and Ignacius dawsonae. Interestingly, their fossils were previously traced in the 1970s from the Canadian island Ellesmere by famous paleontologist Mary Dawson, but had no name or scope of research in absence of proper samples. However, one thing is for sure, the animals having this genus have so long not been discovered in any lower latitudes. Another thing that the researchers have concluded is that although not huge like present-day primates, the polar primates of ancient times were comparatively larger in sizes than their relatives living in warmer climates. Why? Because the greater the volume in comparison to the surface area, the more heat they can retain.  

Experts believe that the current study will also help them determine why some species adapted to certain climates, while others didn’t.