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Brontotheres

All articles tagged with #brontotheres

science2 years ago•3 min saved

The Evolutionary Leap of Rhino-like 'Thunder Beasts'

Rhino-like horse relatives that lived in the shadow of the dinosaurs became gigantic "thunder beasts" as suddenly as an evolutionary lightning strike, new research shows. The findings suggest that large body size may have provided at least some mammals with a distinct evolutionary edge after the dinosaurs died off. Brontotheres, an extinct mammal lineage that started out at 40 pounds and is most closely related to modern horses, reached maximum weights of 4-5 tons in just 16 million years, a short period of time from a geological perspective.

via Livescience.com|

#brontotheres #dinosaurs #evolution

science2 years ago•3 min saved

The Rapid Evolution of Prehistoric 'Thunder Beasts' into Massive Creatures.

After the extinction of dinosaurs, mammals seized the opportunity to grow in size. Brontotheres, an extinct mammal lineage, became gigantic "thunder beasts" in just 16 million years, reaching maximum weights of 4-5 tons. The study suggests that large body size may have provided at least some mammals with a distinct evolutionary edge after the dinosaurs died off. The researchers found that individual brontothere species would either increase or decrease in size as they expanded into new ecological niches, and larger species survived while smaller ones quickly became extinct, pushing up the average size of the group over time.

via Yahoo Life|

#brontotheres #dinosaurs #evolution

science2 years ago•4 min saved

Uncovering the Rapid Growth of Prehistoric Thunder Beasts.

Brontotheres, the rhino-like herbivorous mammals that lived during the Eocene Epoch, evolved from dog-size animals to nearly elephant-sized creatures relatively quickly due to competition and extinction of smaller species. The study suggests that becoming large herbivores benefited brontotheres, and smaller species were more vulnerable to competition and predation. However, the herbivorous titans lost their survival edge when the Eocene’s humid greenhouse conditions started winding down, causing their extinction. The study provides a new perspective on what drives the evolution of body size and proposes a pathway to reach megaherbivory that needs to be tested in other mammalian groups.

via CNN|

#brontotheres #evolution #extinction

science2 years ago•2 min saved

The Evolution of Massive "Thunder Beasts" and Their Survival Tactics.

Researchers have explored the pathways that led to the evolution of huge multi-tonne bodies in Cenozoic mammals by studying brontotheres, mammals that look like modern-day rhinos but are more closely related to horses. The team suggests that the ecological niches in which the herbivorous brontotheres lived became saturated, explaining the diverse range of sizes within these ancient mammals. The smaller brontotheres that lived in these highly competitive niches evolved to be bigger to combat the higher extinction risk they experienced. The study is published in Science.

via IFLScience|

#brontotheres #ecological-niches #evolution