Research
Scientists discovered a tiny furry predator from 165 million years ago that hunted slippery prey in the water
Earth.com · By Eric Ralls ·
The Brief
- Scientists described a fossil from about 165 million years ago of a small furry predator that hunted slippery prey in water.
- Early mammals and their relatives from the dinosaur age are usually pictured as tiny, but this swimming predator weighed a few pounds.
- Its fangs were anchored by three roots each.
Why it matters
The find suggests that mammal relatives in the age of dinosaurs were more varied in size and lifestyle than the usual image of tiny creatures keeping out of the way.
- #paleontology
- #jurassic
- #mammals
- #fossils
- #evolution
In most pictures of the dinosaur age, early mammals and their relatives are tiny creatures keeping out of the way. Many did weigh just a few grams. One of those relatives was a swimming predator that weighed a few pounds and hunted with fangs anchored by three roots each. The…