The Lost North American Primate

Long before humans arrived, tiny primates called Ekgmowechashala lived in the Great Plains of North America. They are the continent's last known surviving primates before the region became devoid of them for millions of years.

It is truly strange to imagine monkeys swinging through trees in places like Nebraska and South Dakota. Most people assume primates evolved entirely in tropical climates far away, but this resilient creature clung to the northern plains long after its relatives disappeared. Fossil evidence shows they managed to survive there even as global cooling changed the landscape. Eventually, they vanished from the fossil record, leaving North America without any native primates until humans arrived much later.