This Surprising Mammal Fossil Is Giving Scientists Something to Chew On
Researchers say the exceptionally intact fossil shows early mammals could chew, swallow and suckle, offering rare evidence of mammalian feeding evolution.
- Zhe-Xi Luo, a paleontologist at the University of Chicago, described a 165-million-year-old mammal ancestor named Megacauda in the journal Nature, providing evidence of early chewing and suckling abilities.
- Found in a thick slab of shale in Inner Mongolia, China, the specimen caught Luo and his colleague Thomas Martin of the University of Bonn's attention a decade ago at the Paleontological Museum of Liaoning.
- Specialized hyoid bones and sharp teeth indicate the animal was semi-aquatic and predatory; Luo stated, "we are able with great confidence to reconstruct the whole muscular skeletal machinery."
- Jessica Theodor, a paleontologist at the University of Calgary, said the fossil tracks the evolution of lactation, describing it as a "dietary and hormonal conversation between mother and baby."
- These evolutionary innovations extend into the middle Jurassic, confirming that early mammals held out relatively well despite not being dominant in the age of dinosaurs.
12 Articles
12 Articles
The mammal is so well preserved that its outline and even traces of its fur and tail are still visible.
This surprising mammal fossil is giving scientists something to chew on
It's likely you've already chewed and swallowed some tasty morsel today. But when did that ability emerge? New evidence points to at least the middle Jurassic, back when dinosaurs still reigned.
April I. Neander A fossil of about 165 million years found in China is helping scientists to understand when structures used by mammals to suck, drink and swallow food have emerged. Baptized by Megacauda sungei, the animal lived in the Jurassic period and was part of a group of ancient relatives of mammals. The specimen rarely preserved small bone structures of the throat, usually difficult to find in fossils so old.Like g1 on Google and follow …
An early predecessor to mammals could swim, suckle and swallow
A fossil of an early ancestor of mammals from the Jurassic period reveals a mammal-like throat passage (pharynx) and throat bones (hyoids). It fills a gap in our knowledge about throat features in the animals from which modern mammals evolved their ability to swallow as adults and suckle milk as babies. A fossil discovery suggests that suckling emerged in a common ancestor of modern mammals that lived in the Jurassic period.
About 165 million years ago, a hairy animal lived in what is now China that swam like a platypus, hunted like an otter, and had the tail of a beaver. A fossil of it shows how mammals developed a new way of eating.
Coverage Details
Bias Distribution
- 34% of the sources lean Left, 33% of the sources are Center, 33% of the sources lean Right
Factuality
To view factuality data please Upgrade to Premium
