Many people picture our earliest primate ancestors moving through dense tropical forests, yet new evidence suggests they actually endured cold environments. A recent study led by Jorge Avaria-Llautureo at the University of Reading, along with colleagues, examined the geographic origins of primates and the climates of those ancient regions. Most primates today live in the tropics, and most primate fossils have been unearthed there too. The primate species that are with us today are descended from these highly mobile ancestors. If we are to conserve primate species today, we need to know how they are threatened and how they will react to those threats.