Squirrels time of the dinosaurs – Republic

Xianshou songae an animal the size of a mouse living in the branches trees; photo. Zhao Chuang

Source: Press materials

Senshou lui – photo frame. AMNH / J. Meng

Source: Press materials

Mammals Jurassic forest – on the left side of the three newly discovered species the right of sweeping relatives; photo. Zhao Chu

Source: Press materials

Fossils of three small animals discovered by American and Chinese researchers allow you to re-write the history of the evolution of mammals.

These animals lived in the branches of trees in the dense forests during the Jurassic, approx. 160 million years ago when the land and skies mastered the great reptiles. Description discoveries brings you the latest edition of the magazine “Nature”. Nature – read more

All three belong to the poorly known group haramiidów.

Well-preserved fossils were found in Liaoning Province in northeastern China. Pets named Shenshou lui, Xianshou linglong and Xianshou songae ultimately proved to mammals. Scientists have confirmed that based on the presence of three bones of the middle ear characteristic of all mammals from shrews to whales, and humans.

The three newly discovered species probably looked like a small squirrel. elongated fingers and toes, indicate that they were residents of the branches of trees. They were long and probably prehensile tails.

– You can predict that the animals spent more time in the trees than today Chipmunks – said Jin Meng, a paleontologist vertebrates in the American Museum of Natural History in New York, the lead author of an article in “Nature”. – Based on the shape of the teeth, we can conclude that probably was omnivorous, fed on insects, nuts and fruit.

preserved not only hard tissue such as teeth and bones to fossilize the most common but also the soft tissue m. in fragments of fur and entrails of animals. The three types differ from each other in size. The smallest were the size of mice and weighed approx. 30 gr, the largest size of a large squirrel reached a weight ten times larger. Although it looked like today’s squirrels were loosely related to them.

Recent discoveries have shown that mammals were much more diverse in the Jurassic period than previously planted scientists. Explorers fossils believe that the first true mammals appeared on Earth between 235 and 208 million years ago, a good 60 million years earlier that previously thought.

Krzysztof Urbanski

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