Scientists have discovered
the remains of humankind’s
oldest mammal ancestor — a
tiny rat-like creature that
lived 145 million years ago.
The fossils of the nocturnal
mammal were discovered
on the Jurassic Coast
of Dorset, by palaeontologists
from the University of
Portsmouth in the U.K.
The animal is the earliest
in the line that evolved into
humans, and branched off
into creatures as diverse as
blue whales and pigmy
shrews, according to a study
published in the journal Acta
Palaeontologica Polonica.
The new species has been
named Durlstotherim newmani
— after an amateur palaeontologist
and pub owner
Charlie Newman, who
helped scientists collect the
new specimens.
Researchers were sifting
through small samples of
earliest Cretaceous rocks
when they unexpectedly
found two teeth.
“The teeth are of a type so
highly evolved that I realised
straight away I was looking
at remains of Early Cretaceous
mammals that more
closely resembled those that
lived during the latest Cretaceous
— some 60 million
years later in geological history,”
said Steve Sweetman,
research fellow at Portsmouth
University.
‘Highly advanced type’
“The teeth are of a highly advanced
type that can pierce,
cut and crush food,” Mr.
Sweetman was quoted as
saying by
The Telegraph.
Mammal teeth evolved
over time, from very simple
ones that were not very efficient,
to molar-like ridged
teeth which could tear, chew
and grind food very easily.
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