Newfound Jurassic Mammal

The discovery of 150-million-year-old digging mammal in Colorado suggests that mammals evolved highly specialized techniques for feasting on termites at least twice.

With hollow teeth lacking enamel and forelimbs designed for digging, the chipmunk-sized mammal seems to have fed on termites or other social insects similar to the way armadillos feed on these insects today. The new mammal, Fruitafossor windscheffelia, appeared on the evolutionary scene more than 100 million years before the appearance of the ancestors of today's specialized, termite-eaters.

The creature, shown above at its tunnel opening feasting on termites and other insects, appears to represent a new, but now extinct, Late Jurassic mammal located near the base of the mammalian family tree.

The finding, reported in the April 1 issue of the journal Science, adds to the emerging view that early mammals displayed a wide range of ecological adaptation.

-- LiveScience Staff

Illustration credit: Mark Klingler of Carnegie Muesum of Natural History