masterwordsmith-unplugged

GAINESVILLE, Fla. --- Say "primate" and most people wouldn't think of a tree-dwelling, squirrel-like creature that weighs no more than a deck of playing cards, but a new study suggests that may perfectly describe humans' earliest primate ancestors.

Found in the same area of Montana that yielded the massive Tyrannosaurus rex, new ankle bones smaller than a penny provide the first fossil evidence that the oldest primates lived in trees.

That's important because living in trees gave those early primates access to food sources that other species lacked -- likely a critical factor in why primates succeeded in evolution where others may have failed.

 CLICK HERE for more.