Scientists Discover Prehistoric Beavers Who Ruled Earth After Dinosaurs

Now, paleontologists have identified one of the largest survivors of the era.

Kimbetopsalis itself lived for “only” a few hundred thousand years after the asteroid hit – a “blink of the eye” in geological terms, writes Brusatte.

Kimbetopsalis simmonsae, which originated a few 100 million years before dinosaurs became extinct and went on to spread throughout what is now Asia and North America, stood out for having odd and complex teeth.

Researchers from the University of Nebraska-Lincoln and University of Edinburgh’s School of GeoSciences have discovered the fossilised remains of a beaver-sized mammal which survived the dinosaur extinction and ultimately thrived when the large reptiles had died out. Little dude’s a heck of a lot cuter than a cockroach.

New fossils uncovered a new species that survived the KT event.

The creature discovered in the summer of 2014 looked like a squirrel with a straight tail, according to a picture provided by the researchers.

“Finding this new mammal was a pleasant surprise”. Mammals – which had been living in the shadows of the dinosaurs for many tens of millions of years – made it through the extinction and suddenly had the opportunity to diversify in the courageous new world.

“Kimbetopsalis is testament to how the history of life hinges on moments that can reset the course of evolution”, writes Brusatte.

After comparing the new fossils with others from around the world, Williamson, Secord and colleagues at the University of Edinburgh concluded Raymond had found a new species, which they named Kimbetopsalis simmonsae, after the wash where it was found and a scientist who has studied the mammals.

“We realised pretty quickly that this was a totally new type of mammal that no-one has seen before”, Brusatte, lead researcher on the study, told BBC News.

It was said to have been a couple of feet in length, and weighed between 22 to 88 pounds.

Asked what someone’s impression of Kimbetopsalis might be, New Mexico Museum of Natural History and Science curator of paleontology Thomas Williamson said, “They would probably think something like, ‘Hey, look at that little beaver!” It was one of the creatures that helped bring forward the age of mammals, and, eventually, humans as the dominant species of our planet.

“It may be because they were among the few mammals that were already well-suited to eating plants when the extinction came”.