Triops Longicaudatus
Triops Longicaudatus Red
Triops Longicaudatus
Triops Longicaudatus Red
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Palaeontology: Mammal ancestor with sabre teeth discovered on Mallorca
The first true mammals emerged around 200 million years ago, but the roots of their development go back further to the therapsids, a prehistoric group of vertebrates. On Mallorca, a research team led by Ken Angielczyk from the Field Museum in Chicago discovered an exceptionally old fossil of this lineage. The age of the find is estimated at around 270 to 280 million years, which exceeds the previous record holder by 5 to 15 million years.
About the size of a husky
The fossil, which is vaguely reminiscent of a dog in appearance, has not yet been named. However, scientists unequivocally assign it to the Gorgonopsia group within the therapsids. This lineage is completely extinct and, unlike the direct ancestors of mammals, has produced no further descendants. Gorgonopsia are characterised by their sabre-toothed canines, which are also clearly visible in this find. At that time, in the Permian, Mallorca was part of the supercontinent Pangaea, and the animal was discovered in exceptionally well-preserved condition.
The team was able to excavate parts of the skull, vertebrae, ribs and a femur, which enabled a detailed reconstruction of the creature. It was about the size of a husky, but was hairless and had no dog-like ears. Based on its teeth, the researchers concluded that the animal was a carnivore and a skilful hunter. In contrast to the later mammals, which mostly retreated into the shadowy world of the dinosaurs, there were also impressively large species among the therapsids. One example is Lisowicia bojani, a huge animal from Poland that looked like a cross between a rhinoceros and a tortoise. It weighed around 2.6 tonnes, reached a length of 5.5 metres and lived around 210 million years ago – significantly later than its distant relative from Mallorca.
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