Cuddling can go back further than thought, as scientists discovered the remains of a 75.5 million year old structure that contains the fossils of cuddling rodents.
US paleontologists made the find – the oldest evidence of social behavior in mammals – in a well-known nesting site for dinosaurs called Egg Mountain in Montana.
The small mammals – called Filikomys primaevus, which translates as “juvenile, friendly mouse” – represent a new genus of the so-called multituberculate.
Previously, it was believed that social behavior first appeared in mammals after the asteroid-induced mass extinction that killed the dinosaurs.
In addition, it was also believed that this was largely confined to the placentalia – the group in which mothers carry their fetus until a late stage before birth.
The find – the nesting and digging of multigenerational groups – however, broadens our notion of how this sociality evolved.
Cuddling can go back further than thought, as scientists discovered the remains of a 75.5 million year old structure that contains the fossils of cuddling rodents. The picture shows an artistic impression of a social group of Filikomys primaevus that nest in their common den
“These fossils are changing the game,” said paper writer Gregory Wilson Mantilla of the University of Washington and the Burke Museum of Natural History and Culture.
“As paleontologists working to reconstruct mammalian biology from that era, we usually stare at individual teeth and perhaps a jaw rolling down a river,” he added.
“But here we have several, almost complete, skulls and skeletons that are kept exactly where the animals lived.”
“We can now credibly see how mammals really interacted with dinosaurs and other animals that lived at the time.”
In their study, Professor Wilson Mantilla and colleagues analyzed the fossilized remains of 22 individuals of F. primaevus, most of which were grouped into groups of two to five people.
In fact, 13 of the specimens were found in a single 30-square-foot area of rock – and the groupings contained mixtures of mature and young adults, suggesting that the finds aren’t just parents and their young.
Due to the nature of the surrounding rock, the preservation of the fossils, and their powerful shoulders and elbows, the team concluded that the mammals lived in caves.
The remains represent the most complete mammalian fossils ever to date from the Mesozoic Era – the period from 252 to 66 million years ago – in North America.
The small mammals – called Filikomys primaevus, which translates as “juvenile, friendly mouse” – represent a new genus of the so-called multituberculate. In the picture the fossilized remains of two adult and one juvenile Filikomys primaevus
“Multituberculates are one of the oldest groups of mammals and have been extinct for 35 million years. However, in the Late Cretaceous Period, they interacted in groups, much like modern ground squirrels do, ”said Luke Weaver of the University of Washington
“It was crazy getting this paper done when the home stay orders went into effect,” commented paper writer and biologist Luke Weaver, also of the University of Washington.
“Here we are all trying our best to socially distance and isolate ourselves, and I write about how mammals interacted socially long ago, when dinosaurs roamed the earth,” he added.
“I think it’s really powerful to see how ingrained social interactions are in mammals.”
“Because humans are such social animals, we tend to believe that sociality is unique to us, or at least to our close evolutionary relatives, but now we can see that social behavior goes way back in the mammalian family tree.”
“Multituberculates are one of the oldest groups of mammals and have been extinct for 35 million years. In the late Cretaceous period, however, they interacted in groups, much like modern ground squirrels do. ”
The full results of the study have been published in the journal Nature Ecology & Evolution.
US paleontologists made the find – the oldest evidence of social behavior in mammals – in a famous nesting site for dinosaurs called Egg Mountain in Montana
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Utafiti wa hivi karibuni unaonyesha kwamba kuna vitu vilivyopo katika eneo la kale la dunia vilivyojengwa miaka milioni 75.5 iliyopita, ambavyo vina mabaki ya wanyama wanaopiga makofi. Wataalamu wa paleontolojia wa Marekani wamegundua uthibitisho wa kale zaidi wa tabia ya kijamii katika mamalia katika eneo maarufu la kutengeneza viota vya dinosaur linaloitwa Egg Mountain huko Montana. Nyama ndogo za kunyonya - zinazoitwa Filikomys primaevus, ambazo hutafsiriwa kama "panya mchanga, mwenye urafiki" - zinawakilisha jamii mpya ya aina inayoitwa multituberculate. Hapo awali, ilidhaniwa kwamba tabia ya kijamii ilionekana kwa mara ya kwanza katika mamalia baada ya kutoweka kwa wingi kwa sababu ya asteroidi ambayo iliwaua dinosaurs. Kwa kuongezea, ilidhaniwa pia kwamba hii ilikuwa imefungwa kwa kiasi kikubwa kwa placentalia - kikundi ambacho mama hubeba kijusi chao hadi hatua ya mwisho kabla ya kuzaliwa. Hata hivyo, ugunduzi huo - makundi ya vizazi vingi yakifanya viota na kuchimba - unapanua maoni yetu kuhusu jinsi jamii hiyo ilivyobadilika. Utafiti wa hivi karibuni unaonyesha kwamba kuna vitu vilivyopo katika eneo la kale la dunia vilivyojengwa miaka milioni 75.5 iliyopita, ambavyo vina mabaki ya wanyama wanaopiga makofi. "Picha hiyo inaonyesha picha ya kikundi cha Filicomys primaevus ambacho huishi katika pango lao la kawaida.""Hizi fossils ni kubadilisha mchezo,"" alisema mwandishi wa karatasi Gregory Wilson Mantilla wa Chuo Kikuu cha Washington na Makumbusho ya Burke ya Historia ya Asili na Utamaduni." "Kama wataalamu wa vitu vya kale wanaofanya kazi ya kurekebisha biolojia ya mamalia kutoka enzi hiyo, kwa kawaida tunatazama meno ya mtu mmoja-mmoja na labda taya ikiruka kwenye mto", akaongeza. "Hapa tuna mifupa na fuvu la kichwa kadhaa ambazo zimehifadhiwa mahali ambapo wanyama hao waliishi, na sasa tunaweza kuona jinsi mamalia walivyoingiliana na dinosaurs na wanyama wengine waliokuwepo wakati huo."" - Profesa Wilson Mantilla, Mtaalamu wa Utafiti wa Fossil na wenzake, F. primivus." Kwa kweli, sampuli 13 zilipatikana katika eneo moja la mwamba la mita 30 za mraba, na makundi hayo yalikuwa na mchanganyiko wa watu wazima na vijana, ikidokeza kwamba uvumbuzi huo haukuwa tu wa wazazi na watoto wao. Kwa sababu ya asili ya miamba iliyo karibu, kuhifadhiwa kwa visukuku, na mabega na mikono yao yenye nguvu, timu hiyo ilihitimisha kwamba mamalia hao waliishi katika mapango. Mabaki hayo ni ya wanyama wakubwa zaidi waliobaki katika kipindi cha Mesozoic, yaani miaka milioni 252 hadi 66 iliyopita. Nyama ndogo za kunyonya - zinazoitwa Filikomys primaevus, ambazo hutafsiriwa kama "panya mchanga, mwenye urafiki" - zinawakilisha jamii mpya ya aina inayoitwa multituberculate. Filicomys primivus (Multituberculates) ni kundi la wanyama wa zamani zaidi duniani. "Lakini katika kipindi cha mwisho cha Cretaceous, waliingiliana katika makundi, kama vile squirrels za ardhi za kisasa hufanya, ""Alisema Luke Weaver wa Chuo Kikuu cha Washington." "Hapa sisi sote tunajaribu kadiri tuwezavyo kujitenga na jamii, na mimi ninaandika juu ya jinsi mamalia walivyoingiliana kijamii muda mrefu uliopita, wakati dinosaurs walipotembea duniani", aliongeza. """Kwa sababu wanadamu ni wanyama wa kijamii, tunaelekea kuamini kwamba ushirika ni wa kipekee kwetu, au angalau kwa jamaa zetu wa karibu wa mageuzi, lakini sasa tunaweza kuona kwamba tabia ya kijamii inaenda nyuma katika mti wa familia ya mamalia." Hata hivyo, mwishoni mwa kipindi cha Cretaceous, waliishi katika vikundi, kama vile tu vipepeo wa kisasa wanavyofanya. <unk> Matokeo kamili ya utafiti huo yamechapishwa katika jarida la Nature Ecology & Evolution. Wataalamu wa paleontolojia wa Marekani wamegundua nyenzo za kale zaidi za wanyama wanaonyonyesha katika eneo maarufu la dinosaur linaloitwa Egg Mountain, Montana, na kuwa ni nyenzo za kale zaidi ya milioni 75 zilizotengenezwa na wanyama wa aina ya dinosaur. Tunatumaini kuwa tumefanikiwa kwa kukupa maelezo kamili na habari. Ili ufuate habari zetu zote, unaweza kujiandikisha kwenye mfumo wa tahadhari au kwenye moja ya mifumo yetu tofauti ili kukupa habari mpya. "Hata hivyo, ni muhimu kutambua kwamba habari ya awali imechapishwa na inapatikana kwenye de24.news na timu ya wahariri wa Al-Khalil al-Today imethibitisha na imebadilishwa, na inaweza kuwa imehamishwa kabisa au kunukuliwa kutoka kwake na unaweza kusoma na kufuata habari hii kutoka chanzo chake kikuu. """