Preconceived notions that mammals did not exist when the monstrous dinosaurs roamed the planet have been squashed by recent research. Even more startling to some was the fact the mammals survived because they went vegan in order to maintain a large enough portion of the food chain. The plant-based diet, researchers have discovered, has won again. Scientists have uncovered a previously unrecognized group of rodent-like creatures being dubbed multituberculates. According to the research, these unique mammals “coexisted with dinosaurs for roughly 20 million years,” able to do so because they fed off of plant-based food sources that were not in high demand from other species, including the larger plant eating dinosaurs. Multituberculates were named for their teeth, which had special bumps and cusps for crushing plant fibers. Although they continued to thrive after the extinction of dinosaurs, they were eventually eradicated by growing populations of primates, hoofed animals and other rodents. Alistair Evans of Monash University in Melbourne, who led the research team on the discovery, said that “many of the tuberculates have very bumpy teeth and each of the bumps is called a tuberculate.” Speaking to IBT, Evans said these small rodents were able to live, and live beyond dinosaurs, because they developed numerous tubercules on their back teeth, allowing them to feed largely on angiosperms. About 170 million years ago, these multituberculates were roughly the size of a mouse, but when angiosperms started to appear some 140 million years ago, the small mammals increased in body size, eventually reaching the size of a beaver. Tapping fossil collections worldwide, scientists examined teeth from 41 multituberculate species. Using laser and CT – computer tomography – scans they created high resolution 3-D images of the teeth. Some multituberculates developed very complex teeth in the back of the mouth, with as many as 348 tubercules per teeth row, which made them ideal for crushing plant material such as angiosperms. Meanwhile, the teeth toward the front of the mouth were less prominent, but sharp and blade-like. BM ShortURL: http://goo.gl/IzlPc Tags: Dinosaurs, Mammals, Rodents, Vegan Section: Animals, Food, Latest News
