The World’s Oldest Primate Fossil

There has been some talk lately that humans originated in Asia rather than Africa. New evidence has just emerged in the form of a tiny fossil recognized as the oldest primate discovered so far. It was found in China’s Hubei province, and is 7 million years older than the previous oldest primate fossil.
　
The little primate, Archicebus achilles, is a primitive tarsier. This primate group is closely related to monkeys, apes and humans, although it lived before the evolutionary split that divided the three groups. It is a descendant of the ancestor of all primates, but it is not clear yet whether it is a direct ancestor of humans.

The tiny, primitive animal, barely 3 inches (7 centimeters) long and weighing only about 30 grams, lived some 55 million years ago. The world was very warm and its home was a lush rainforest. It probably climbed trees and dined on insects. Dinosaurs had been extinct for some 10 million years when this little fellow lived, and mammals, reptiles and birds were beginning to thrive in a world that had experienced drastic environmental changes 65 million years ago.

The tiny animal somewhat resembles a modern squirrel but with the feet of a monkey. Its arms, legs and teeth resemble those of a primitive primate, and its primitive skull contained surprisingly small eyes.

Scientists will now be kept busy trying to determine where this tiny newcomer fits into the primate family tree. They do not believe that Archicebus achilles is the first primate, but they are certain that it is a descendant of the first one. For now, however, the focus of the search for our possible first primate ancestor almost certainly must shift to the far East.
If you’d like more information about this little primate, visit here