(Newser) – Archaeologists in the Amazon found four small teeth that had no business being in South America. The teeth are from an extinct species of monkeys from the family of primates known as parapithecids—which once roamed in North Africa. Scientists named the monkeys Ucayalipithecus perdita, which translates to "lost monkey of Ucayali," referring to the area in Peru where the teeth were found. Scientists already knew that another group of primates made such an accidental trip from Africa to South America; the new study shows it happened at least twice, and probably around the same time, per the Conversation. The Ucayali monkeys must have been "hardy," the post adds, given that they not only survived the journey, they evidently traveled a long distance inland to establish themselves.

Source: The North Africa Journal April 10, 2020 14:12 UTC