Nature & Environment
Ancient, Furry Creature Survived the Dinosaurs During the Massive Asteroid Impact
Catherine Griffin
First Posted: Oct 05, 2015 08:37 AM EDT
A newly discovered mammal species may have actually survived the dinosaur extinction. Researchers have found a beaver-like mammal that managed to outlast the dinosaurs about 66 million years ago.
The newly discovered species is called Kimbetopsalis simmonsae. It was a small, plant-eating creature that managed to survive during a time when about 75 percent of all species became extinct. This animal was a couple of feet long, and had buck-toothed incisors at the front of its snout.
The particular species was part of a group of now-extinct mammals, collectively known as multituberculates. These mammals originated alongside during the dinosaurs during the Jurassic and thrived for more than 100 million years until they were outcompeted by rodents.
"[During the Jurassic] these animals were all pretty small," said Stephen Brusatte, one of the researchers, in an interview with BBC News. "Then the asteroid hit, wiped out the dinosaurs and suddenly-in geological terms-this [group of animals] started to proliferate and get bigger. That's how the rise of mammals started and really the end result of that is us being here today."
Of course, this wasn't the only mammal that survived the destroyed landscape after the asteroid hit Earth. Instead, it was just one of many mammals flourishing in ancient New Mexico at the time. More specifically, this mammal shows that during the mass extinction, dinosaurs left space for mammals to take the lead and become the dominant species that they are today.
The findings are published in the Zoological Journal of the Linnean Society.
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TagsMammals, Mammal, Dinosaur, Dinosaurs, Extinction, Mass Extinction, Extinct, Fossil, fossils, Asteroid ©2024 ScienceWorldReport.com All rights reserved. Do not reproduce without permission. The window to the world of science news.
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First Posted: Oct 05, 2015 08:37 AM EDT
A newly discovered mammal species may have actually survived the dinosaur extinction. Researchers have found a beaver-like mammal that managed to outlast the dinosaurs about 66 million years ago.
The newly discovered species is called Kimbetopsalis simmonsae. It was a small, plant-eating creature that managed to survive during a time when about 75 percent of all species became extinct. This animal was a couple of feet long, and had buck-toothed incisors at the front of its snout.
The particular species was part of a group of now-extinct mammals, collectively known as multituberculates. These mammals originated alongside during the dinosaurs during the Jurassic and thrived for more than 100 million years until they were outcompeted by rodents.
"[During the Jurassic] these animals were all pretty small," said Stephen Brusatte, one of the researchers, in an interview with BBC News. "Then the asteroid hit, wiped out the dinosaurs and suddenly-in geological terms-this [group of animals] started to proliferate and get bigger. That's how the rise of mammals started and really the end result of that is us being here today."
Of course, this wasn't the only mammal that survived the destroyed landscape after the asteroid hit Earth. Instead, it was just one of many mammals flourishing in ancient New Mexico at the time. More specifically, this mammal shows that during the mass extinction, dinosaurs left space for mammals to take the lead and become the dominant species that they are today.
The findings are published in the Zoological Journal of the Linnean Society.
Related Stories
Why Whales Echolocate: Size Matters When Sensing the Ocean
Giant Mother Lizard Reveals How Dinosaurs Lived and Grew Millions of Years Ago
For more great science stories and general news, please visit our sister site, Headlines and Global News (HNGN).
See Now: NASA's Juno Spacecraft's Rendezvous With Jupiter's Mammoth Cyclone