microrobert
07-30-2012, 09:40 AM
Early rodents add evidence for Earth’s first grasslands
http://news.bbcimg.co.uk/media/images/61807000/jpg/_61807699_3).chinchillidinhand.jpg
One of the recently discovered fossil rodents hinted at a grassland ecosystem
Two of the earliest rodents, including the earliest chinchilla, have been discovered in Chile.
The finds add weight to the suggestion that grasslands appeared in South America 15 million years before anywhere else on Earth, after a period of global cooling.
The rodents have been described from two fragmentary fossils of lower jaws.
Both lived near a volcanic chain 32.5 million years ago that was buried in volcanic debris.
BBC News - Early rodents add evidence for Earth’s first grasslands (http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/science-environment-18989216)
http://news.bbcimg.co.uk/media/images/61807000/jpg/_61807699_3).chinchillidinhand.jpg
One of the recently discovered fossil rodents hinted at a grassland ecosystem
Two of the earliest rodents, including the earliest chinchilla, have been discovered in Chile.
The finds add weight to the suggestion that grasslands appeared in South America 15 million years before anywhere else on Earth, after a period of global cooling.
The rodents have been described from two fragmentary fossils of lower jaws.
Both lived near a volcanic chain 32.5 million years ago that was buried in volcanic debris.
BBC News - Early rodents add evidence for Earth’s first grasslands (http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/science-environment-18989216)