Rare Gondwanatherian Mammal's Fossilized Tail Unearthed in Madagascar
Paleontologists have identified the first postcranial remains of a Gondwanatheria called Vintana, which lived in Madagascar about 66 million years ago during the Mesozoic era. Previously, Vintana was only represented by a fossilized skull, but the new discovery of a tailbone provides key information about the gondwanatherian lineage. Vintana weighed around 19 pounds and is the largest known mammal from the southern hemisphere's Mesozoic era to date. The discovery sheds new light on early mammalian evolution and provides insights into the unique mammals that lived on the ancient supercontinent of Gondwana.