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How the earliest mammals thrived alongside dinosaurs

An explosion of fossil finds reveals that ancient mammals evolved a wide variety of adaptations allowing them to exploit the skies, rivers and underground lairs.
  1. John Pickrell

    1. John Pickrell is a science journalist and author in Sydney, Australia.

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Early mammals like this rat-sized species Liaoconodon hui coexisted with feathered dinosaurs like Sinotyrannus in the temperate ecosystems of the Cretaceous in what is now Liaoning in northern China. Illustration by Davide Bonadonna

Night is falling in the early Jurassic 185 million years ago, and the Kayentatherium is tending to her newly hatched brood. Heavy rains pummel the bank above her den as she looks over her dozens of tiny young. She is about the size of a large cat and could easily pass for a mammal, but her large jawbone, characteristic teeth and lack of external ears give her away: she is a cynodont, a member of the group from which mammals evolved. At some point without warning, the sodden bank collapses, entombing the hatchlings and their mother in mud.

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Nature 574, 468-472 (2019)

doi: https://doi.org/10.1038/d41586-019-03170-7

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Supplementary Information

  1. Early Mammals Infographic

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