Researchers have revealed the discovery of Militocodon Lydae, an ancient mammal dating back 65 million years that resembled a chinchilla. But they may be the ancestors of cows, deer, and pigs.
Researchers in Colorado have discovered the fossilized skull of a small extinct mammal. Which lived approximately 65 million years ago, or after the era of dinosaurs that ruled the world
The mammals found were named “Militocodon Lydae” (Melitocodon leda) is approximately the size of a chinchilla. (a small animal that resembles a rat) and weighs about 0.5 kilograms.
They suspect that Militocodon Lydae is part of a group of creatures that… “It is likely the ancestor of modern ungulates such as cows, deer and pigs.”
Militocodon Lydae helps researchers understand how mammals evolved after the dinosaurs disappeared during the Cretaceous-Paleogene mass extinction? (Cretaceous-Paleogene) 66 million years ago.
Tyler Leeson, curator of vertebrate paleontology at the Denver Museum of Nature and Science, said: “The discovery and description of the skull of this mammal is an important step in documenting the early diversity of mammals after the recent mass extinction.”
Militocodon Lydae lived about 65.43 million years ago during the Paleocene Epoch (66 million to 56 million years ago), about 610,000 years after the end-Cretaceous mass extinction.
The team identified Melitocodon lead from skull and jaw fossils collected in the Coral Bluffs area near Colorado Springs in 2016 and 2020.
The genus name Militocodon honors museum volunteer and retired educator Sharon Milito, who discovered the first fossil specimen in 2016. The name Ledae comes from investor and philanthropist Leda Hale, who supported the Denver museum's research
The researchers revealed that there is still a lot to learn about Militocodon Lydae and other Paleocene mammals. However, Militocodon Lydae appears to be a species halfway between early mammals.
Compiled from Live sciences
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