52 million years ago, on the cold islands of modern Canada, there were cypress swamps in which alligators were found.. Now scientists have found that at that time this part of the Arctic was home to animals similar to primates, according to Smithsonian magazine..
Scientists describe two species of lemur-like creatures, the first primate-like animals that lived in the Arctic during the Eocene era.
[see_also ids\u003d"
“The discovery of a close relative of primates north of the Arctic Circle is a unique phenomenon.. This has never happened before in the fossil record,” said one of the authors of the study, Chris Byrd, a vertebrate paleontologist at the University of Kansas..
In the warm days of the Eocene, the Canadian island of Ellesmere was unrecognizable, scientists compare it to the cypress swamps of Georgia. But the ecosystem that existed here 52 million years ago is not found on Earth today..
However, for thousands of years this island was plunged into darkness for months.. Like other plants and animals that lived here, the "
Scientists studied in detail the teeth and jaws of animals, which allowed them to assess the strength of their bite.. She pointed out that the ancient " According to the researchers, these features allowed them to chew on such "
Scientists described two species: Ignacius mckennai and Ignacius dawsonae, which were close relatives of primates, and were similar in size to a cat or a rabbit..
In total, the team of researchers studied eight samples of fragments of teeth and jaws found near Bay Fjord in the central part of Ellesmere Island.. Based on them, experts were able to create detailed 3D models of teeth..
These models were compared with 95 other fossil primates and living species that have adapted to tougher foods.. Comparative results show that Ellesmere's primates had distinctive dental features, such as low-crowned molars adapted for biting and chewing hard food.. Muscle markings showed that species from Ellesmere Island also had mandibular bones adapted to higher bite force..
Previously, scientists managed to find the remains of a hybrid of a bird and a dinosaur. The ancient creature had an archaic, dinosaur-like head combined with a more modern avian body..