165 million-year-old omnivore may have had armadillo-like
gait
A newly discovered fossil reveals the evolutionary
adaptations of a 165 million-year-old proto-mammal, providing evidence that
traits such as hair and fur originated well before the rise of the first true
mammals. UChicago scientists described the biological features of this ancient
mammalian relative, named Megaconus mammaliaformis, in the Aug. 8 issue of
Nature.
“We finally have a glimpse of what may be the ancestral
condition of all mammals, by looking at what is preserved in Megaconus. It
allows us to piece together poorly understood details of the critical
transition of modern mammals from pre-mammalian ancestors,” said Zhe-Xi Luo,
professor of organismal biology and anatomy.