Are we a direct dissidence of the Jurassic squirrel and did they become more evolved than us humans? Is this our alien hoax?
Jurassic squirrel older than Tyrannosaurus Rex is discovered in China – and WE could have evolved from it
- Fossils of the Megaconus mammaliaformis found in Inner Mongolia, China
- The squirrel-type creature is thought to date back before the T-Rex
- It had a potentially poisonous spur on its heel to ward off predators
- Described as ‘great-great-grand uncle 165 million years removed of man’
- It was also found with hair, making it only the second pre-mammalian fossil to be found with fur
A fossil of a squirrel-like creature, described as a ‘great-great-grand uncle 165 million years removed’ of modern man, has been discovered in China.
The ancient mammalian relative, called Megaconus mammaliaformis, is one of the best-preserved fossils of the mammaliaform groups, which are long-extinct relatives to modern mammals.
The discovery in Inner Mongolia has also provided evidence that traits such as hair and fur originated well before the rise of the first true mammals.
An artist’s impression of a Megaconus. The small mammal is older than T-Rex and had reptilian features and long poisonous spurs. Discovered in China by the University of Chicago, the creature has been compared to a modern-day squirrel and may be one the most ancient relatives of humans
Believed to date back around 165 million years, Megaconus co-existed with feathered dinosaurs in the Jurassic era, nearly 100 million years before Tyrannosaurus Rex roamed Earth.
Zhe-Xi Luo, professor of organismal biology and anatomy at the University of Chicago said: ‘We finally have a glimpse of what may be the ancestral condition of all mammals, by looking at what is preserved in Megaconus.
‘It allows us to piece together poorly understood details of the critical transition of modern mammals from pre-mammalian ancestors.’
Preserved in the fossil is a halo of guard hairs and underfur residue, making Megaconus only the second known pre-mammalian fossil with fur. It was also found with sparse hairs around its abdomen.
On its heel, Megaconus had a long spur made from a tough protein substance which was thought to have been poisonous.
Similar to those found on modern egg-laying mammals, such as male platypuses, this spur is evidence that this fossil was most likely a male member of its species.