Fossils tell tale of last primate to inhabit North America before humans
The lone ranger primate Ekgmowechashala — the last to inhabit North America before Homo sapiens — is actually a member of a species that evolved in Asia and migrated to North America during a surprisingly cool period, most likely via Beringia, according to new research led by KU paleontologists that rewrites its origin story. 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."