nature video | Fossilised glider takes the origin of mammals back to the Triassic @NatureVideoChannel | Uploaded January 2021 | Updated October 2024, 1 week ago.
A new fossil specimen of Vilevolodon diplomylos, an ancient herbivore similar to a flying squirrel, may push the origin of mammals back millions of years earlier than previously thought.

Vilevolodon is a haramiyid, an ancient group of animals that lived during the mesozoic era. Until recently they were only known through a few fossilised teeth, but new finds are shedding more light on these enigmatic creatures.

This new specimen features a well preserved middle ear, revealing more advanced structures than had previously been seen. These ear bones could place haramiyids within mammals as a group – settling an argument between palaeontologists and pushing back the origin of mammals to the late Triassic.

Read more on this story: nature.com/articles/d41586-021-00064-5

Read the paper here: nature.com/articles/s41586-020-03137-z

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