‘Earliest recorded private fossil, sheds light on mammalian uplift’

Washington, Feb. 25 (PTI) Scientists have recorded the earliest fossil evidence of primates, a progress that sheds light on how life on land passed after the 66 million year extinction event destroyed the dinosaurs and led to the rise of mammals.

The researchers, including those from the University of Washington in the USA, analyzed several fossils of Purgatorius – the oldest genus in a group of the earliest primates called plesiadapiforms.

According to the study, published in the journal Royal Society Open Science, these old mammals had small bodies and ate a special diet of insects and fruits that varied by species.

‘This discovery is encouraging because it represents the oldest occurrence of ancient primates in the fossil record,’ said Stephen Chester, co-director of the study from Brooklyn College in the USA.

‘It adds to our understanding of how the earliest prime ministers separated themselves from their competitors after the demise of the dinosaurs,’ said Chester.

The scientists analyzed fossil teeth found in the Hell Creek area of ​​northeastern Montana in the U.S. that are now part of the collections at the University of California Museum of Paleontology.

They are thought to be between 65.9 million years old, about 1,05,000 to 1,39,000 years after the event became extinct.

Depending on the age of the fossils, the scientists said that the ancestors of all the prime ministers, including the plesiadapiform and modern primates such as lemurs, monkeys and apes, seemed to live together. to giant dinosaurs.

‘It’s mind blowing to think of our earliest ancient primate ancestors,’ said study co-author Wilson Mantilla, a professor of biology at the University of Washington (UW).

‘They were some of the first mammals to multiply in this new extinct world, taking advantage of the fruit and insects up in the forest canopy,’ said Mantilla.

The fossils, according to the researchers, include two species of Purgatorius – Purgatorius janisae, and a new species described by the team called Purgatorius mckeeveri.

They said that three of the teeth found have unique characteristics compared to any previous Purgatorius species and described the new species.

This was a very cool study as part of this, especially as it provides further evidence that the earliest primates came before non-bird dinosaurs became extinct. They became very plentiful within a million years of that extinction, ‘said study co-author Brody Hovatter, a UW graduate student. PTI VIS VIS

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