Fossilized remains of 75-million-year-old ‘swamp dweller’ discovered in Colorado

The fossilized remains of a astir 75-million-year-old “swamp dweller” person been discovered by paleontologists successful northwest Colorado.

The University of Colorado squad behind nan discovery has been digging conscionable extracurricular of Rangely, Colorado for 15 years and precocious unearthed 1 of their biggest, and strangest, findings yet — nan jaw of a Heleocola piceanus, aliases “vertebrate swamp dweller”.

The swamp dweller looks conscionable for illustration what nan sanction would suggest. It was a very rodent-like marsupial, conscionable astir nan size of a muskrat, that weighed up to 2 pounds. However, this size was really comparatively ample compared to astir Cretaceous play mammals.

“They’re not each tiny,” Professor Jaelyn Eberle, curator of fossil vertebrates astatine nan CU Museum of Natural History, told nan CU Boulder Today.

“There are a fewer animals emerging from nan Late Cretaceous that are bigger than what we anticipated 20 years ago.”

Before an asteroid wiped retired astir each non-avian animals 66 cardinal years ago, mammals typically fell connected nan smaller side, usually pinch akin statures to modern time rats and mice, Eberle said. Because of that, galore are mostly identified done fossilized teeth.

70 cardinal years ago, Colorado was thing much than inland sea, pinch nan onshore surrounding it comprised of chiefly marshes and swamp land. The fossil itself was recovered wherever nan onshore and oversea would’ve met backmost then.

The only inhabitants successful nan area, too nan swamp dweller, would’ve apt included accepted marsh creatures for illustration turtles and monolithic crocodiles.

“The region mightiness person looked benignant of for illustration Louisiana,” ReBecca Hunt-Foster, nan study’s co-author, told nan CU Boulder Today.

“We spot a batch of animals that were surviving successful nan h2o rather happily for illustration sharks, rays and guitarfish.”

The find squad celebrated going disconnected nan beaten way and sticking to excavating successful occidental Colorado for arsenic agelong arsenic they have.

“It’s a mini town, but, successful my acquisition arsenic a paleontologist, a batch of cool things travel retired of agrarian environments,” Eberle told nan CU Boulder Today. “It’s bully to spot occidental Colorado person an breathtaking discovery.”

“We person scientists that travel from each complete nan world specifically to study our fossils. We really are lucky.”