A team of researchers from the UK, Canada and the US has found evidence to suggest that after the dinosaurs went extinct, the mammals that remained grew bigger and faster – and died young too. In their paper published in the journal Natureteam describes their study of Pantolamda—a member of a clade (pantodonts) that included a series of mammals that began to thrive after the dinosaurs died out. About 66 million years ago, terrestrial dinosaurs became extinct after a large asteroid impact in what is now the Gulf of Mexico. In the void left behind, other creatures such as mammals began to thrive. Previous research had shown that mammals first appeared around 210 million years ago. But because of the dinosaurs, they didn’t really thrive. They remained small – as large as a modern house cat – and many came out only at night. After the Chicxulub impact event, it took some time for the surviving creatures to regain their footing. But once they did, mammals soon began to assume a more prominent role. One such animal, Pantolamda, did particularly well. Just 4 million years after the dinosaur went extinct, it had grown to the size of a modern sheep. In this new effort, the researchers took a closer look at several Pantolamda specimens to learn more about the creature and perhaps how it was that mammals became so dominant. Images: G Funston The researchers studied the fossilized teeth of the specimens. Each one was sliced very thin and then studied to learn more about its makeup. Such a study can reveal information about the history of its original owner, such as how long it was in the womb, what it ate during its lifetime, and how long it lived. The researchers found that Pantolamda gestated for about seven months – long enough for the embryo to develop into a baby that could survive almost on its own after birth (it already had teeth). The researchers found that they only breastfed for a month or two. They also found that the creatures quickly grew to full size and didn’t live long—just 10 years.
Pantolamda teeth. Credit: G Funston Pantolamda reconstruction – youth and adult. Credit: S Shelley
The researchers suggest that such traits gave the creatures the best chance for survival, allowing them to survive childhood and then reproduce as quickly as possible — evidence that could help explain how mammals became so dominant in later years. .
Mammals put brains before brains to survive in the post-dinosaur world More information: Gregory F. Funston et al, The origin of placental mammal life histories, Nature (2022). DOI: 10.1038/s41586-022-05150-w
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title: “After The Dinosaurs Went Extinct Mammals Grew At A Faster Rate And Died Young Klmat” ShowToc: true date: “2022-10-30” author: “Juanita Enciso”
A team of researchers from the UK, Canada and the US has found evidence to suggest that after the dinosaurs went extinct, the mammals that remained grew bigger and faster – and died young too. In their paper published in the journal Natureteam describes their study of Pantolamda—a member of a clade (pantodonts) that included a series of mammals that began to thrive after the dinosaurs died out. About 66 million years ago, terrestrial dinosaurs became extinct after a large asteroid impact in what is now the Gulf of Mexico. In the void left behind, other creatures such as mammals began to thrive. Previous research had shown that mammals first appeared around 210 million years ago. But because of the dinosaurs, they didn’t really thrive. They remained small – as large as a modern house cat – and many came out only at night. After the Chicxulub impact event, it took some time for the surviving creatures to regain their footing. But once they did, mammals soon began to assume a more prominent role. One such animal, Pantolamda, did particularly well. Just 4 million years after the dinosaur went extinct, it had grown to the size of a modern sheep. In this new effort, the researchers took a closer look at several Pantolamda specimens to learn more about the creature and perhaps how it was that mammals became so dominant. Images: G Funston The researchers studied the fossilized teeth of the specimens. Each one was sliced very thin and then studied to learn more about its makeup. Such a study can reveal information about the history of its original owner, such as how long it was in the womb, what it ate during its lifetime, and how long it lived. The researchers found that Pantolamda gestated for about seven months – long enough for the embryo to develop into a baby that could survive almost on its own after birth (it already had teeth). The researchers found that they only breastfed for a month or two. They also found that the creatures quickly grew to full size and didn’t live long—just 10 years.
Pantolamda teeth. Credit: G Funston Pantolamda reconstruction – youth and adult. Credit: S Shelley
The researchers suggest that such traits gave the creatures the best chance for survival, allowing them to survive childhood and then reproduce as quickly as possible — evidence that could help explain how mammals became so dominant in later years. .
Mammals put brains before brains to survive in the post-dinosaur world More information: Gregory F. Funston et al, The origin of placental mammal life histories, Nature (2022). DOI: 10.1038/s41586-022-05150-w
© 2022 Science X Network
Reference: After the extinction of the dinosaurs, mammals grew faster and died young (2022, September 1) retrieved September 1, 2022 by
This document is subject to copyright. Except for any fair dealing for purposes of private study or research, no part may be reproduced without written permission. Content is provided for informational purposes only.
