A fossil of a four-legged cat- sized reptile that was found in Germany may be a missing link in the evolution of mammals, palaeontologists said Monday.
The Bromacker stone formation at Tambach-Dietharz in central Germany is one of the world's richest spots for fossils, giving clues to life 300 million years ago before either mammals or dinosaurs walked the earth.
Excavation director Thomas Martens said only the 6-centimetre-long skull of the creature was found, but it was thought to have been a reptile 50 to 70 centimetres long.
'It could be a key stage in the development from reptiles to mammals,' he said.
Scientists have been excavating land vertebrates from the Bromacker for 30 years and have found 40 individuals of 13 species. Martens said the fossils were better preserved than at sites of comparable age in North America and Mexico.
Any details more than the pop article available?
Oh and can we ditch the missing link bit? sheez.
Looking forward to hearing more about this one, there is a lot of great stuff coming out of the Bromacker Quarry.
ReplyDeleteI'm not one to overuse the 'missing link' bit, but I would say a well-preserved, mostly complete Early Permian fossil showing a mosaic of both pelycosaur-grade and basal therapsid features might actually deserve the title.
I don't know if this announcement refers to such a thing, but here's hoping...
Until then, arboreal Permian anomodonts!
http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/32194062/ns/technology_and_science-science/