All articles tagged with #early mammals
Scientists discovered the oldest known fossil of a docodontan mammal in Greenland, dating back to the Middle Jurassic, which narrows the evolutionary gap by 7 million years and provides new insights into early mammal evolution, dental complexity, and ecological diversity, though the reasons for the group's extinction remain uncertain.
A rare fossil found in China's Liaoning Province suggests that some early mammals, specifically a badger-like creature called Repenomamus robustus, may have hunted and preyed on dinosaurs, specifically a species of plant-eating Psittacosaurus. The fossil, dating back to around 125 million years ago, shows the two animals locked in mortal combat, providing evidence of actual predatory behavior by a mammal on a dinosaur. The discovery challenges the notion that dinosaurs had few threats from their mammal contemporaries during the Cretaceous period.