Sentences with phrase «ancient mammal relatives»

Modern conservation efforts tend to center around large animals — such as tigers, elephants, and wolves — and top predators in peril, while Roopnarine and Angielczyk show that small amniotes (reptiles and ancient mammal relatives) were most vulnerable during the early phase of this long - ago period of extinction.

Angielczyk, whose work focuses on ancient mammal relatives, explained the importance of finding new species like Ichibengops.

Believed to be roughly the size of a dachshund, Ichibengops lived around 255 million years ago, and was a member of Therocephalia, a group of ancient mammal relatives that survived the largest mass extinction in history (the Permian - Triassic extinction).

But «Itchy» was no reptile: The animal, known from two partial skulls and described in July in the Journal of Vertebrate Paleontology, was actually an ancient mammal relative.

Not exact matches

The site contains abundant fossils, diverse assemblages of Triassic animals including relatives of crocodylians, giant - headed amphibians and ancient relatives of modern mammals called cynodonts.

Yet two ancient anklebones from Pakistan indicate that whales are descended from artiodactyls, a group of even - toed hoofed mammals that includes modern sheep, cows, pigs, and camels — along with hippos, which appear to be whales» closest living relatives.

The addition of the fossil to existing data on ancient turtles solidifies the theory that changes to the ribs and vertebrae were early steps in shell evolution and occurred during the Permian geological period, when early mammal, bird, and crocodile relatives were also diversifying.

As small omnivores and herbivores, Captorhinus and its relatives had to scrounge for food while avoiding being preyed upon by large meat - eating amphibians and ancient relatives of mammals.