Have you ever wondered what tiny animals lived alongside dinosaurs? A student named Benjamin Weston from the University of Portsmouth found an amazing fossil that answers that question! While exploring the cliffs and beach at Durlston Bay in Dorset, UK, he discovered a tiny fossil jaw just 16.5 millimeters long. This fossil belonged to a new species of ancient mammal that lived about 145 million years ago. This little mammal was part of a group called multituberculates—extinct early mammals known for their specialised teeth. Its jaw has a sharp front incisor, a gap, and four blade-like premolars behind it—somewhat like a rabbit’s jaw, but different in important ways.
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This fossil is especially significant because it’s the first multituberculate jaw found at Swanage since Victorian times, making it a very rare and exciting discovery. Scientists used advanced technology like CT scans to study the jaw in detail without damaging it. This allowed them to learn a lot about the animal’s teeth and how it might have lived alongside dinosaurs. This find reveals that many different types of mammals lived during the age of dinosaurs and helps scientists understand more about mammal evolution. So next time you think about dinosaurs, remember there were also tiny mammals like this little creature running around.
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