A well-preserved fossil mammal discovered in northeastern China (map) has pushed the history of aquatic mammals back a hundred million years, a new study says.
It is the oldest swimming mammal ever found and the oldest known animal preserved with fur, the researchers say in their report, which will be published in tomorrow's issue of the journal Science.
"The origin of fur predates the origin of modern mammals," said study co-author Zhe-Xi Luo, curator of vertebrate paleontology at the Carnegie Museum of Natural History in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania.
"This discovery has pushed fur-bearing nearly 40 million years further into the past," Luo said.
Until now, the oldest mammal fossils found with fur, such as the mammal Eomaia scansoria, were about 125 million years old.
The newfound specimen is called Castorocauda lutrasimilis—the name, loosely translated, means "beaver-tailed and looks like a river otter."
Source For Full Article :
Click Here
Credit To Author.
Disclaimer
This website contains copyrighted news material - the use of which has
not always been specifically authorized by the copyright owner. We believe
that our use of such material for nonprofit educational purposes (and other
related purposes) constitutes a 'fair use' of the copyrighted material as
provided for in the US Copyright Law at Title 17 U.S.C. Section 107. If you
wish to use this copyrighted material for purposes of your own that go
beyond 'fair use', you must obtain permission from the copyright owner. If
for any reason you believe that our use of your material on this site does
not fall within the fair use guidelines, please immediately notify The Black
Vault so that we can promptly address the matter.
Sincerely,
John Greenewald, Jr.
a
The Black Vault Headquarters
http://www.blackvault.com