The Mystery of Ancient Human Ancestor Revealed

At the dawn of a new era, when Earth was just recovering from the asteroid impact that ended the age of dinosaurs, a tiny creature emerged on the evolutionary stage, without which we wouldn't exist. This is Purgatorius - the first mammal known to science that scientists classify as a primate.

As explained by University of Manchester PhD student Will Newton in a column for BBC Wildlife, it was from Purgatorius that Homo sapiens evolved millions of years later. Despite this, it didn't look like a monkey at all, but rather like a squirrel: a fluffy tail, elongated body, pointed nose, and only 15 centimeters in length. The little animal weighed no more than 35 grams.

Purgatorius lived 66-63 million years ago, shortly after the disappearance of dinosaurs. The lands of eastern Montana, where their remains were first found in 1965, were covered with subtropical forests at that time.

The key feature of Purgatorius was the structure of their teeth. They had similar characteristics to primate teeth, which distinguished these animals from other mammals of that time.

Scientists believe that Purgatorius became extinct due to climate change and the emergence of more adapted species. However, it was with them that the long evolutionary road to humans began.