A treasure trove of fossils of six furry critters that inhabited the trees of southern China 34 million years ago is providing a deeper understanding of a pivotal moment in the evolution of primates, the group that eventually gave rise to people.
Scientists on Thursday announced the discovery of the remains of six previously unknown extinct primate species: four similar to Madagascar's lemurs, one similar to the nocturnal insect- and lizard-eating tarsiers of the Philippines and Indonesia, and one monkey-like primate.
Primates are among the most environmentally sensitive of all mammals. These lived shortly after a dramatic episode of global climate change that brought cooler, drier conditions that triggered the extinction of all primates in North America and Europe and devastated Asia's primates.