A team of paleontologists from Denver Museum of Nature & Science, Kent State University, the University of Michigan, and City University of New York made an exciting discovery recently. They found the fossilized remains of a mammal species that lived about 65.5 million years ago. This newly-discovered species belonged to the group Periptychidae, which eventually gave rise to modern hoofed mammals like deer, cows, and pigs.
The ancient creature, named Militocodon lydae, was approximately the size of a chinchilla and weighed between 270 and 460 grams. It is believed to have had an omnivorous diet. This species lived in what is now the United States, around 610,000 years after the mass extinction that marked the end of the Cretaceous period.
The fossil skull and jaws of Militocodon lydae were found in the Corral Bluffs area of the Denver Basin in Colorado. This area, located east of Colorado Springs, is part of the D1 sequence of the Denver Formation, spanning from the uppermost Cretaceous to the lower Paleocene. The discovery of this fossil provides valuable insight into the early diversification of mammals following the extinction of dinosaurs.
Dr. Tyler Lyson, curator of vertebrate paleontology at Denver Museum of Nature & Science commented on this discovery saying that it sheds light on how and when life rebounded after a mass extinction event that wiped out dinosaurs. He added that well-preserved fossils found at Corral Bluffs have allowed scientists to paint a clearer picture