Overview
- Minuscule Purgatorius teeth from Corral Bluffs in Colorado’s Denver Basin represent the southernmost record of the genus, newly described in the Journal of Vertebrate Paleontology.
- The discovery helps close a geographic gap with slightly younger archaic primates in the U.S. Southwest, indicating a broader Early Paleocene distribution than previously documented.
- Study authors interpret the Colorado occurrence as evidence that archaic primates originated in northern North America and spread south shortly after the end-Cretaceous extinction.
- Students and volunteers recovered the millimeter-scale teeth through intensive screen-washing, demonstrating that traditional surface collecting has overlooked key microfossils.
- The teeth show a unique mix of dental features that may reflect a distinct or earlier Purgatorius species, a possibility the team will evaluate with further finds supported by NSF funding and ongoing fieldwork.