BRENT: A new fossil has been discovered which has given scientists an insight into an ancient group of animals that flourished when dinosaurs died out.
The find in New Mexico has been identified as a previously unknown species from a group of small, furry mammals that resemble rodents.
Known as multituberculates, they originated 100 million years before the dinosaurs were killed off and had distinctive sharp teeth.
They survived the events that led to the extinction of dinosaurs, and spread through what is now Asia and North America.
The new species, known as Kimbetopsalis simmonsae, has helped scientists update the mammals’ family tree.
Research revealed that the new fossil dates to about 500,000 years after the extinction and a study by teams at the University of Edinburgh, the New Mexico Museum of Natural History and Science and the University of Nebraska found that the fossil may be from a forebear to the biggest species in the multituberculates group, which weighed up to 100kg and is said to have resembled a large beaver.
Scientists hope studying the creatures will improve understanding of mass extinctions.
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