Monika Raman, PSG College of Technology, Coimbatore
A rich mammalian faunal assemblage, including several ‘condylarth’ species, has been discovered in an early Paleocene (Puercan) location in Wyoming’s Great Divide Basin (GDB).
The Journal of Systematic Palaeontology, a peer-reviewed journal, reports the finding of three new species of ancient animals. They are from the birth of modern mammals and suggest fast development immediately following the catastrophic extinction of the dinosaurs.
These prehistoric creatures inhabited North America during the early Paleocene Epoch, just a few hundred thousand years before the Cretaceous-Paleogene boundary wiped out the dinosaurs. Their study demonstrates that mammals diversified more swiftly after the mass extinction than previously thought.
Miniconus jeanninae, Conacodon hettingeri, and Beornus honeyi were discovered from GDB. They range in size, with the largest being a contemporary house cat, significantly than the primary mouse to rat-sized mammals that lived with the dinosaurs in North America before it.
Animals identity, lifestyle, and body size
These new species are part of a varied group of placental mammals known as archaic ungulates (or condylarths), which are the original progenitors of today’s hoofed mammals (Eg: horses, elephants, cows, hippos).
Palaeontologists from the University of Colorado in Boulder unearthed parts of 29 fossil ‘condylarth’ species’ lower jawbones and teeth to determine anatomical differences between the species. They also utilized phylogenetic approaches to find how the species are linked to one another and other early Paleocene ‘condylarths’ in the west.
The three new species are members of the Periptychidae family differentiated from other ‘condylarths’ by their unique vertical enamel ridges and enlarged premolars. Researchers assume they were omnivores because they evolved teeth that enabled them to crush both plants and meat, but this does not rule out the possibility that they were strictly herbivores.
Each has a set of distinct dental characteristics that set it apart from the others. Because of the look of the inflated (puffy) molars, Beornus honeyi has been named in honour of The Hobbit character Beorn (cheek teeth).
The data backs up the scientists’ findings of these three new species and sheds light on the species identification, habits, and body size.
The biggest was Beornus honeyi, which was roughly the size of a marmot or a house cat. Conacodon hettingeri is similar to other Conacodon species but has a different final molar shape. Miniconus jeanninae is comparable in size to other small early Paleocene ‘condylarths,’ but differentiated by a parastylid, a tiny cusp on the molars.
Age of Mammals
Because many kinds of mammals appeared for the first time shortly after the catastrophic extinction that wiped out the non-avian dinosaurs 66 million years ago, it is often regarded as the commencement of the ‘Age of Mammals.’
After the dinosaurs died out, mammals had access to a diverse range of nutrients and habitats, allowing them to thrive and swiftly modify their dental architecture and grow larger bodies. “They took advantage of this opportunity, as evidenced by the rapid emergence of new animal species following the mass extinction,” says lead author Madelaine Atteberry of the University of Colorado Geological Sciences Department in the United States.
Uncovered mammalian fossils
Previous studies suggest that mammalian species diversity in the Western Interior of North America was relatively low in the first few hundred thousand years after the dinosaur extinction (what is known in North America as the early Puercan). However, based on the finding of three new species in the Great Divide Basin, this study implies rapid diversification after extinction.
These new periptychid ‘condylarths’ represent only a tiny portion of the roughly 420 mammalian fossils discovered at that location. The extent of animal diversity in the early Paleocene is yet to be described, and numerous new species are yet not explored in detail.
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Reference:
- Atteberry, M. R., & Eberle, J. J. (2021). New earliest paleocene (Puercan) periptychid ‘condylarths’ from the great divide basin, Wyoming, USA. Journal of Systematic Palaeontology, 1–29. https://doi.org/10.1080/14772019.2021.1924301
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Author info:
Monika Raman is an undergraduate student pursuing her final year B. Tech in Biotechnology. She is an enthusiastic Biotech student aspiring for an opportunity to develop skills and grow professionally in the research field. Extremely motivated and possess strong interpersonal skills. Read some of her published articles at BioXone:
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