Sensational fossil find: Oldest mammal in the world discovered on Mallorca!

Sensational fossil find: Oldest mammal in the world discovered on Mallorca!

An impressive discovery has been made in Mallorca: an international team of researchers has discovered the skeleton of the oldest known mammal in the world, which has been dated to an incredible 270 to 280 million years old. This sensation was made in the Tramuntana Mountains in the northwest of the island and exceeds the previous age record for Gorgonopsia finds by 15 million years today.at reported. The discovery includes well-preserved bones, including skull and femur bones, giving researchers crucial clues about this animal's lifestyle.

Ken Angielczyk from the Field Museum in Chicago and Rafel Matamales-Andreu from the Universitat de les Illes Balears emphasize that it was a carnivorous animal the size of a husky. It lived in the Permian, about 30 million years before the largest mass extinction in Earth's history. Based on the conclusions drawn about its diet, it is certain that this animal probably fed on smaller reptiles. This discovery also shows how the early ancestors of mammals, therapsids, diverged from the predecessors of birds and reptiles focus.de.

Importance of the find

This discovery also sheds light on the evolution of mammals and their early geographical distribution. According to scientists, the new information about the fossil is of great importance for understanding evolutionary development. With features that include viviparous reproduction and a specialized dentition, this find provides valuable insights into the origins of modern mammals.