A 165-million-year-old fossil shows Megacauda sungei had a soft palate and swallowing anatomy linked to safe nursing, offering clues to an early step in mammal evolution.
01Summary
- 01Megacauda sungei lived about 165 million years ago and measured about half a metre, or 20 inches, from nose to tail.
- 02The fossil was found in Xiayingzi, Inner Mongolia, and later studied by researchers in Shenyang, Chicago and Bonn.
- 03Computed tomography scans showed evidence of a sophisticated soft palate that may have let the animal swallow while breathing.
- 04The creature was a docodont, an extinct group of early mammal relatives, and the largest mammaliaform known from the Jurassic, at about two kilograms.
- 05Researchers say the animal also had aquatic adaptations, including a broad flattened tail, paddling front legs and specialised teeth for catching prey.
02Why it matters
The fossil helps explain how early mammal relatives developed a swallowing system that supported nursing, a key step in mammalian evolution. That evolution is linked in the story to the later development of the human brain.
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