Palaeontologists have identified the earliest example of a placental mammal in the fossil record to date, which could provide new insights into how our furry ancestors came to dominate Earth after the extinction of the dinosaurs.
They made the breakthrough by studying the odontological (tooth) equivalent of tree rings – growth lines and elements preserved in fossil teeth – which they used to reconstruct the day-to-day life of one of our early cousins: Pantolambda bathmodon, a stocky dog-pig-like creature, which trotted around approximately 62m years ago – soon after the dinosaur extinction.
