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A Jurassic eutherian mammal and divergence of marsupials and placentals

Author

Listed:
  • Zhe-Xi Luo

    (Carnegie Museum of Natural History)

  • Chong-Xi Yuan

    (Chinese Academy of Geological Sciences)

  • Qing-Jin Meng

    (Beijing Museum of Natural History)

  • Qiang Ji

    (Chinese Academy of Geological Sciences)

Abstract

An early date for mammal divergence Almost all living mammals are placentals. A key event in mammalian evolution was the divergence between the ancestors of today's placentals and those of the marsupials. The discovery of a fossil on the placental side of the split takes that divergence back 35 million years, to around 160 million years ago, deep into the Jurassic period. The fossil, from China, shows that the earliest members of the group that includes ourselves and most familiar mammals was a small creature adapted for climbing and scampering among the trees, presumably keeping well clear of the dinosaurs below. The age of the fossil suggests that there was a higher rate of mammal evolution in the Jurassic than previously believed.

Suggested Citation

  • Zhe-Xi Luo & Chong-Xi Yuan & Qing-Jin Meng & Qiang Ji, 2011. "A Jurassic eutherian mammal and divergence of marsupials and placentals," Nature, Nature, vol. 476(7361), pages 442-445, August.
    • Handle: RePEc:nat:nature:v:476:y:2011:i:7361:d:10.1038_nature10291
    DOI: 10.1038/nature10291
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    Cited by:

    1. Temitayo A. Olagunju & Benjamin D. Rosen & Holly L. Neibergs & Gabrielle M. Becker & Kimberly M. Davenport & Christine G. Elsik & Tracy S. Hadfield & Sergey Koren & Kristen L. Kuhn & Arang Rhie & Kati, 2024. "Telomere-to-telomere assemblies of cattle and sheep Y-chromosomes uncover divergent structure and gene content," Nature Communications, Nature, vol. 15(1), pages 1-12, December.

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