Findings Show Ancient Primates Crossed the Atlantic

In addition to her interests in volunteer work, travel, and new recipes, Valerie Varnuska of Westbury, New York, maintains an interest in diverse scientific topics. Valerie Varnuska is especially fascinated by the fields of astronomy and paleontology.


After the discovery of ancient monkey teeth in Peru in 2015, paleontologists have hypothesized that these small primates traveled from Africa to South America on large, floating landmasses that broke away from the mainland more than 30 million years ago. For many years, it was believed that this migration occurred only once.

However, molars from a different but contemporary primate species were unearthed in 2020. This evidence suggests that two separate groups of monkeys made their way across the Atlantic Ocean.

Scientists believe that the monkeys were able to make the perilous journey because of their small size. The primates sustained themselves on the limited food and water on the landmass until they reached the new continent.

After arriving in South America, the primate groups continued to evolve. Some species died out, but the ones that remain are very different from their African ancestors.

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