Today, the only primates that make North America their home are humans. But 30 million years ago, a tiny, scrappy primate represented the last bastion of non-Homo sapiens primates on this continent—and researchers are finally able to piece together its story of survival.
A new study published in the Journal of Human Evolution lays out how a species of primate called Ekgmowechashala, likely came to North America after all other primates died out millions of years before.
Ekgmowechashala is a species that we’ve known about for decades, with its fossil record first unearthed in the 1960s, according to researchers. But this ancient primate’s story has been shrouded in mystery for years.
“Due to its unique morphology and its representation only by dental remains, its place on the mammalian evolutionary tree has been a subject of contention and debate,” Kathleen Rust, a doctoral candidate in paleontology at the University of Kansas’s Biodiversity Institute and Natural History Museum and lead author of the research, said in a press release.
“There’s been a prevailing consensus leaning towards its classification as a primate. But the timing and appearance of this primate in the North American fossil record are quite unusual. It appears suddenly in the fossil record of the Great Plains more than 4 million years after the extinction of all other North American primates, which occurred around 34 million years ago.”
Primates came to North America around 56 million years ago, but after the Eocene-Oligocene transition 34 million years ago, North America became much cooler and dryer, making it a less than optimal home for the primates that used to commonly roam this continent.
“Several million years later Ekgmowechashala shows up like a drifting gunslinger in a Western movie, only to be a flash in the pan as far as the long trajectory of evolution is concerned,” Rust said.
It’s a phenomenon known as the ‘Lazarus effect’—a type of species seemingly going extinct in a region, only to resurface abruptly in the fossil record millions of years later.
For years, researchers have been looking for a definitive answer to this primate’s source. Did some primates survive the Eocene-Oligocene transition and evolve into Ekgmowechashala—or did the primate come from somewhere else entirely?
To put together the pieces of Ekgmowechashala’s puzzle, Rust looked at fossilized teeth and jaws found not only in the U.S. state of Nebraska, but also fossils from China which were collected decades ago.
Co-author Chris Beard, senior curator of vertebrate paleontology at the University of Kansas as well as Rust’s doctoral advisor, had first collected the fossils from the Nadu Formation in the Baise Basin in Guangxi, China in the 1990s.
When he first spotted the fossils, he saw the resemblance to Ekgmowechashala immediately, he said.
“When we were working there, we had absolutely no idea that we would find an animal that was closely related to this bizarre primate from North America, but literally as soon as I picked up the jaw and saw it, I thought, ‘Wow, this is it,’” Beard said in the release. “It’s not like it took a long time, and we had to undertake all kinds of detailed analysis — we knew what it was. Here in KU’s collection, we have some critical fossils, including what is still by far the best upper molar of Ekgmowechashala known from North America. That upper molar is so distinctive and looks quite similar to the one from China that we found that it kind of seals the deal.”
However, a more in-depth analysis still needed to be done—and that’s where Rust came in.
Fossils of Ekgmowechashala have been reported in three areas of western U.S., in South Dakota, Oregon and Nebraska. For this analysis, Rust looked at fossils sourced from Nebraska that make up the earliest known North American record of Ekgmowechashala, so as to provide a better comparison to the older Chinese fossils.
Rust’s analysis of these fossils, showing similarities between the teeth and jaws of the Nebraska and Chinese fossils that spell out a clear evolutionary relationship, solidifies a key bridge in Ekgmowechashala’s history, researchers say.
The apparent confirmation of an older “sister taxon” for Ekgmowechashala which originated in China suggests that this is where Ekgmowechashala originally developed. This species discovered in China is named Palaeohodites, which means “ancient wanderer.”
“We collected a substantial amount of morphological data to create an evolutionary tree using a phylogenetic reconstruction software and algorithm,” Rust said. “This evolutionary tree suggests a close evolutionary relationship between North American Ekgmowechashala and Palaeohodites from China, which Chris and his colleagues discovered in the 1990s. The results from our analysis unequivocally supports this hypothesis.”
This fossil trail suggests that, like many of the occupants of North America today, Ekgmowechashala was an immigrant.
“(It) evolved in Asia and migrated to North America during a surprisingly cool period, most likely via Beringia,” Rust said.
It’s unknown exactly how long Ekgmowechashala was around for—fossils of the primate dating from around 29.5 million years ago to around 27.8 million years ago, suggesting the species endured for at least two million years.
This new research is exciting, Rust says, because it sheds light on primate evolution during a time of huge environmental upheaval in North America.
“It’s crucial to comprehend how past biota reacted to such shifts,” she said. “Around 34 million years ago, all of the primates in North America couldn’t adapt and survive. North America lacked the necessary conditions for survival. This underscores the significance of accessible resources for our non-human primate relatives during times of drastic climatic change.
“Understanding this narrative is not only humbling, but also helps us appreciate the depth and complexity of the dynamic planet we inhabit. It allows us to grasp the intricate workings of nature, the power of evolution in giving rise to life and the influence of environmental factors.”
NAIROBI, Kenya (AP) — The body of Ugandan Olympic athlete Rebecca Cheptegei — who died after being set on fire by her partner in Kenya — was received Friday by family and anti-femicide crusaders, ahead of her burial a day later.
Cheptegei’s family met with dozens of activists Friday who had marched to the Moi Teaching and Referral Hospital’s morgue in the western city of Eldoret while chanting anti-femicide slogans.
She is the fourth female athlete to have been killed by her partner in Kenya in yet another case of gender-based violence in recent years.
Viola Cheptoo, the founder of Tirop Angels – an organization that was formed in honor of athlete Agnes Tirop, who was stabbed to death in 2021, said stakeholders need to ensure this is the last death of an athlete due to gender-based violence.
“We are here to say that enough is enough, we are tired of burying our sisters due to GBV,” she said.
It was a somber mood at the morgue as athletes and family members viewed Cheptegei’s body which sustained 80% of burns after she was doused with gasoline by her partner Dickson Ndiema. Ndiema sustained 30% burns on his body and later succumbed.
Ndiema and Cheptegei were said to have quarreled over a piece of land that the athlete bought in Kenya, according to a report filed by the local chief.
Cheptegei competed in the women’s marathon at the Paris Olympics less than a month before the attack. She finished in 44th place.
Cheptegei’s father, Joseph, said that the body will make a brief stop at their home in the Endebess area before proceeding to Bukwo in eastern Uganda for a night vigil and burial on Saturday.
“We are in the final part of giving my daughter the last respect,” a visibly distraught Joseph said.
He told reporters last week that Ndiema was stalking and threatening Cheptegei and the family had informed police.
Four in 10 women or an estimated 41% of dating or married Kenyan women have experienced physical or sexual violence perpetrated by their current or most recent partner, according to the Kenya Demographic and Health Survey 2022.
TEL AVIV, Israel (AP) — A rare Bronze-Era jar accidentally smashed by a 4-year-old visiting a museum was back on display Wednesday after restoration experts were able to carefully piece the artifact back together.
Last month, a family from northern Israel was visiting the museum when their youngest son tipped over the jar, which smashed into pieces.
Alex Geller, the boy’s father, said his son — the youngest of three — is exceptionally curious, and that the moment he heard the crash, “please let that not be my child” was the first thought that raced through his head.
The jar has been on display at the Hecht Museum in Haifa for 35 years. It was one of the only containers of its size and from that period still complete when it was discovered.
The Bronze Age jar is one of many artifacts exhibited out in the open, part of the Hecht Museum’s vision of letting visitors explore history without glass barriers, said Inbal Rivlin, the director of the museum, which is associated with Haifa University in northern Israel.
It was likely used to hold wine or oil, and dates back to between 2200 and 1500 B.C.
Rivlin and the museum decided to turn the moment, which captured international attention, into a teaching moment, inviting the Geller family back for a special visit and hands-on activity to illustrate the restoration process.
Rivlin added that the incident provided a welcome distraction from the ongoing war in Gaza. “Well, he’s just a kid. So I think that somehow it touches the heart of the people in Israel and around the world,“ said Rivlin.
Roee Shafir, a restoration expert at the museum, said the repairs would be fairly simple, as the pieces were from a single, complete jar. Archaeologists often face the more daunting task of sifting through piles of shards from multiple objects and trying to piece them together.
Experts used 3D technology, hi-resolution videos, and special glue to painstakingly reconstruct the large jar.
Less than two weeks after it broke, the jar went back on display at the museum. The gluing process left small hairline cracks, and a few pieces are missing, but the jar’s impressive size remains.
The only noticeable difference in the exhibit was a new sign reading “please don’t touch.”
VICTORIA – The British Columbia government is partnering with a bear welfare group to reduce the number of bears being euthanized in the province.
Nicholas Scapillati, executive director of Grizzly Bear Foundation, said Monday that it comes after months-long discussions with the province on how to protect bears, with the goal to give the animals a “better and second chance at life in the wild.”
Scapillati said what’s exciting about the project is that the government is open to working with outside experts and the public.
“So, they’ll be working through Indigenous knowledge and scientific understanding, bringing in the latest techniques and training expertise from leading experts,” he said in an interview.
B.C. government data show conservation officers destroyed 603 black bears and 23 grizzly bears in 2023, while 154 black bears were killed by officers in the first six months of this year.
Scapillati said the group will publish a report with recommendations by next spring, while an independent oversight committee will be set up to review all bear encounters with conservation officers to provide advice to the government.
Environment Minister George Heyman said in a statement that they are looking for new ways to ensure conservation officers “have the trust of the communities they serve,” and the panel will make recommendations to enhance officer training and improve policies.
Lesley Fox, with the wildlife protection group The Fur-Bearers, said they’ve been calling for such a committee for decades.
“This move demonstrates the government is listening,” said Fox. “I suspect, because of the impending election, their listening skills are potentially a little sharper than they normally are.”
Fox said the partnership came from “a place of long frustration” as provincial conservation officers kill more than 500 black bears every year on average, and the public is “no longer tolerating this kind of approach.”
“I think that the conservation officer service and the B.C. government are aware they need to change, and certainly the public has been asking for it,” said Fox.
Fox said there’s a lot of optimism about the new partnership, but, as with any government, there will likely be a lot of red tape to get through.
“I think speed is going to be important, whether or not the committee has the ability to make change and make change relatively quickly without having to study an issue to death, ” said Fox.
This report by The Canadian Press was first published Sept. 9, 2024.
