A remarkable fossil discovery in Libya is reshaping scientific understanding of early primate evolution after researchers identified what may represent a previously unknown branch of ancient higher primates.
The discovery was made at the fossil-rich site of Dur At-Talah in the Sirte Basin of central Libya, where international research teams have previously uncovered three fossil primate species. However, a newly identified fossil tooth has revealed a creature unlike any known primate recorded in the fossil record.
The species, named Saharapithecus salmi, was identified by a French-led research team working alongside Libyan scientists Awad Bilal of the University of Benghazi and Osama Hilal of the University of Tripoli. The findings were recently published in the academic journal Journal of Human Evolution.
Researchers estimate that Saharapithecus salmi lived around 38 to 39 million years ago during the Eocene epoch. According to the study, the fossil displays a unique combination of primitive and more advanced dental characteristics that do not clearly match any known group of African or Asian higher primates.
Lead researcher Yaowalak Chaimanee of the University of Poitiers in France said the fossil exhibits an unusual “mosaic” of dental features, combining traits normally associated with several different primate lineages. This has made it difficult for scientists to place the species within the established evolutionary tree.
The fossil was recovered after sediment samples from the fossil-bearing layer at Dur At-Talah were collected, washed and carefully examined under microscopes. Among thousands of fossil fragments, researchers identified the distinctive tooth that ultimately led to the recognition of a new species.
Scientists say the discovery strengthens the theory that multiple groups of higher primates migrated from Asia into Africa rather than a single ancestral lineage giving rise to all later African primates.
Dur At-Talah is considered one of the oldest sites in Africa and the Arabian Peninsula preserving a diverse community of higher primates. Dating to around 39 million years ago, the site predates the famous fossil-bearing deposits of Egypt’s Fayum region and offers rare insights into the earliest stages of primate diversification in Africa.
Researchers believe further exploration of Libya’s largely unexplored Eocene fossil deposits could reveal additional species and help answer key questions about the origins of higher primates.