In New Mexico, United States, a discovery was made when fossils were found that showed a beaver-like mammal that dated to the post-apocalyptic era.
One student from a team of researchers inadvertently dug up the bones while looking for sites in New Mexico. The researchers conducted a study with the set of fossils, and concluded that the animal was closer to a beaver and was rodent-like built, it was small and from the set of teeth, practice herbivory.
The Kimbeto Wash in New Mexico was the specific area where the fossils were found, and so the animal was named Kimbetopsalis simmonsae.
The 'psalis' in its name comes from the characteristic blade-like teeth the creature had, it means 'cutting shears.' The complicated row of cusps at the back and incisors at front of the animal were very noticeable and was immediately pointed out by the researchers.
"We realised pretty quickly that this was a totally new type of mammal that no-one has seen before," Dr. Stephen Brustle from the University of Edinburgh, lead researcher on the study, said.
The beaver-like creature is said to have co-existed with the dinosaurs during the Jurassic era. But when a 6 mile asteroid hit Earth wiping out the dinosaur population, this animals survived over a 100 million years after. The Kimbetopsalis simmonsae was pretty small and was agile and made it through the post-apocalyptic event.
The creatures are collectively known as multituberculates and were abundant in the late Mesozoic and the Palaeocene Era. Kimbetopsalis simmonsae is under the largest family of multituberculates, which is the Taeniolabidoidea. It possesses highly complex set of teeth and are adapted to herbivory.
The apocalyptic asteroid event happened almost 60 million years ago. These small shrew-like mammals, which survived, are the ancestors of all humans and without them humans may have never existed. "Literally, the world changed one day," Dr. Brusatte, said.
