Tiny But Toothy Mammal Unearthed

Found this from a few days ago and thought it was not only interesting, but slightly amusing aswell...



From the source..

An extraordinary looking, mouse-sized, fossil animal is shedding new light on the ancient history of mammals. With a thin snout, beady eyes and long canines, the creature would have looked remarkably like that fictional sabre-toothed squirrel of Ice Age movie-fame.

And just for a fun comparison





I never knew that Scrat was fictional, so finding this surprised me quite a bit. Turns out I wasn't the only one either...

As to that likeness with Scrat, the acorn-obsessed squirrel in the animated Ice Age features films, Prof Rougier finds the association highly amusing. "I remember when I saw the movie I thought, 'why have they done this ridiculous animal - there is no such thing?'. And then we find something that kind of looks like it.

I remember reading a thread/post not so long back, where a guy says he was charged by a squirrel. After seeing this, that guy should think himself lucky!

Hope you enjoyed the discovery, thanks for reading

Kyle

This actually raises two interesting question:
A) Why so many prehistoric mammals had huge teeth? It surely was giving some advantage for survival ,that is not given to extremely toothy ones now. Or maybe now being toothy is actually a disadvantage.
B) Did they find an acorn near by?

I would like to see a picture.
I bet he was ferocious.

reply to post by ZeroKnowledge

B) Did they find an acorn near by?

That's what I thought lol. Maybe this lil' guy was responsible for one of the mass extictions?

Kyle

reply to post by kai22

That's what I thought lol. Maybe this lil' guy was responsible for one of the mass extictions?

Yeah. You know ,it has the potential to become truly tragic. Maybe right now some scientist is attempting to clone the critter, totally unaware that Jurassic park horror scenario is nothing in comparison to results of his work.
2012... Cloned Scrat.... Lots of acorns available..... Climate change.... Oh no!!!

reply to post by ZeroKnowledge

Yeah. You know ,it has the potential to become truly tragic. Maybe right now some scientist is attempting to clone the critter, totally unaware that Jurassic park horror scenario is nothing in comparison to results of his work.

2012... Cloned Scrat.... Lots of acorns available..... Climate change.... Oh no!!!

Oh dear oh dear, I can see it now... Yellowstone as Scrat's "proving ground"... yup, we're screwed

Kyle

That + monty python for the win

I just couldn't resist posting this clip...

reply to post by kai22


Most small rodents have a dental structure like that. They have to actually wear their teeth down, or they will grow into each other and cause them to die from starvation. Cute little gerbals and hamsters will tear you up.

Originally posted by Evolutionsend
reply to post by kai22

 

Most small rodents have a dental structure like that. They have to actually wear their teeth down, or they will grow into each other and cause them to die from starvation. Cute little gerbals and hamsters will tear you up.

Hey, thanks for replying. While I've no doubt that hamsters etc. can do some damage, I don't think they have the same structure as the Cronopio Dentiacutus...

From Wikipedia ...

Rodents have two incisors in the upper as well as in the lower jaw which grow continuously and must be kept worn down by gnawing; this is the origin of the name, from the Latin rodere, to gnaw.[9] These teeth are used for cutting wood, biting through the skin of fruit, or for defense. The teeth have enamel on the outside[ambiguous] and exposed dentine on the inside[ambiguous], so they self-sharpen during gnawing. Rodents lack canines, and have a space (diastema) between their incisors and premolars. Nearly all rodents feed on plants, seeds in particular, but there are a few exceptions which eat insects or fish. Some squirrels are known to eat passerine birds like cardinals and blue jays.

Of particular note was "rodents lack canines," IMO the fossil of the Cronopio in my OP has canines. I'd mention the artist's impression but there's nothing to prove that it was drawn based on the fossil.

Kyle