New prehistoric mammal species discovered in Patagonia

An interdisciplinary research team has uncovered a new species of Maastrichtian mammal in Patagonia

In a paper published in Scientific Reports, an international team of archaeologists and paleontologists announced the discovery of a new species of mammal from the Maastrichtian Age in Patagonia, much larger than any other known specimen.

The fossil consists of a femur, tibia, hip and hip socket, and the team was able to identify it as belonging to a group of non-ovulating mammals known as Theria.

The new creature was named Patagomaia chainko because of the excavations completed in southern Patagonia.

The discovered animal is described as a medium-sized mammal by today’s standards and is thought to be possibly the size of an Andean fox.

They suggest that the species may have ranged in size from 2 to 25 kilograms on average and probably reached a length of about one meter; it lived about 70 million years ago.

During the Mesozoic period, mammals tended to be very small, about the size of modern mice or shrews.

Body size for mammals during the Mesozoic period was on average larger for those living in the southern hemisphere than for those in the north, until the asteroid that wiped out the dinosaurs arrived.

The researchers suggest that the new finding will help us better understand the evolution of mammals in the southern hemisphere during the Mesozoic Era.

Source: Newsroom