A potential new therapsid fossil discovered in Mallorca, Spain, pushes back the timeline for mammal evolution. The finding suggests that mammals may have emerged around 280 million years ago, significantly earlier than previously believed.
The world is home to an astonishing diversity of life, including approximately 6,500 species of mammals that thrive across all of nature’s landscapes. Some, like the Etruscan shrew, are so tiny they weigh no more than 0.05 ounces and are barely 1.42 inches long, making them lighter than a single sheet of paper. In contrast, giants like the blue whale, rule the oceans, stretching up to 100 feet in length and weighing nearly 200 tons, making them the largest animals ever to exist on Earth.
But mammals weren’t always part of the planet’s history. Their journey is thought to have begun around 225 million years ago during the Late Triassic. The first ones looked almost nothing like the mammals we are used to seeing today. Instead, they were tiny, shrew-like creatures that barely stood a chance against the massive dinosaurs that dominated the planet at the time. However, against all odds, they withstood their harsh surroundings as the last surviving descendants of an older group, the Now, paleontologists in Mallorca, Spain, have unearthed what seems to be a fossil of a therapsid that could be the oldest ever discovered, dating back to nearly 280 million years ago. The research, which was published in the journal, describes this ancient creature as a vaguely dog-like predator with fearsome saber teeth. Yet to be named, the fossil is believed to belong to a group known asand lead author of the study, undertook a survey of the Permian and Triassic outcrops of Mallorca in 2019. In an interview with“A member of the team found what seemed to be a large tooth, lying on the surface of the bedding plane,” Matamales-Andreu told. “I found it hard to believe, but when I went there, it was indeed the large tooth of a carnivore.” The researcher explains that the fossil’s discovery was remarkably timely, as it was located near the se
Mammals Evolution Fossil Therapsid Paleontology
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