Posted on 02/17/2005 7:46:34 PM PST by nickcarraway
Gomphos had long hindlimbs, just like a modern rabbit The fossilised skeleton of a rabbit-like creature that lived 55 million years ago has been found in Mongolia, Science magazine reports. Gomphos elkema, as it is known, is the oldest member of the rabbit family ever to be found.
Gomphos was surprisingly similar to modern rabbits - and probably hopped around on its elongated hindlimbs.
The fossil adds weight to the idea that rabbit-like creatures first evolved no earlier than 65 million years ago.
"This skeleton is very complete," co-author Robert Asher, of Humboldt Universität, Berlin, Germany, told the BBC News website.
"Gomphos gives us valuable information about the anatomy of early rabbits - it tells us what they looked like.
"Gomphos had a true 'rabbit's foot'; that is, a foot more than twice as long as the hand that could be used for hopping."
But the ancient creature did have some traits that were unlike its modern relative. For example, Gomphos had quite a big tail and some of its teeth were more squirrel-like than rabbit-like.
Scanty evidence
Prior to this discovery, the oldest, most complete fossil lagomorphs (the family which includes rabbits, pikas and hares) were about 35 million years old.
Scanty fossil evidence has led to some uncertainty about when modern placental mammals first appeared Scanty fossil evidence has led to some uncertainty about when modern placental mammals first appeared in evolutionary time.
One camp believes that modern placental mammals (which include elephants, bats, rabbits, lions etc, but not kangaroos, opossums or echidnas) existed long before the famed "KT" boundary 65 million years ago, which marked the demise of the dinosaurs.
The other camp disagrees with this view, and instead claims that modern placentals did not originate until close to, or shortly after, this event.
Great extinction
Gomphos has waded - or hopped - into the debate, adding evidence to the latter theory.
Hitherto, there was a strong school of thought that suggested lagomorphs are more closely related to an extinct group of Cretaceous animals called the "zalambdalestids", than they are to other, modern mammal groups.
Zalambdalestids lived before the great mass extinction event 65 million years ago. So, if they were close relatives of the lagomorphs, it would suggest modern placental groups were diverging during the Cretaceous period.
But an analysis of Gomphos suggests this is not the case, Dr Asher and his colleagues believe. This makes it more likely that modern lagomorphs - and other placental mammals - originated after the dinosaurs went extinct.
"This skeleton gives us more data to throw into the analysis," he told the BBC News website. "And using this new information we favour the second idea."
55 million? I highly doubt it.
Was there a large, baldheaded skeleton of a man with a shotgun unearthed nearby?
What a rotten sentence, but you're smart, you get the joke.
They even found his hunting cap. There was another thread yesterday about the new, futuristic Bugs Bunny.
Sounds to me like one of those modern, deformed rabbit that atheist scientists aged scientifically because their theory of evolution is being disproved by leaps and bounds in the scientific community who are honestly looking for the truth about our origin.
No, but they unearthed the skeleton of a goofy-looking man with big teeth. The scientific name for the discovery is Peanut Man, but the archaeologists have nicknamed him "Jimmy".
Fossil rabbit just found? The SSN Jimmy Carter (Submarine) being commissioned this week end? Coincidence? I think not.
GGG
I was hoping these were going to be giant super-intelligent killer bunnies
"Gomphos gives us valuable information about the anatomy of early rabbits - it tells us what they looked like.
Ah, they looked like rabbits? Is there more than one way to envision a rabbit? I think not.
"What's up, Doc?"
I saw that. Bugs looked like he'd been through The Matrix. "Red carrot...blue carrot.."
Damn. I can't find a picture of a giant, prehistoric bugs bunny.
Damn. I can't find a picture of a giant, prehistoric bugs bunny.
It doesn't sound like in all those millions of years there has been much 'evolving' going on here.
But for the record....any prehistoric black ducks found?
Just in case Tripod doesn't let everyone else see the image, its on this page: http://virtualmarvinmartian.tripod.com/index/id4.html
"Gomphos had long hindlimbs, just like a modern rabbit The fossilised skeleton of a rabbit-like creature that lived 55 million years ago has been found in Mongolia, Science magazine reports. Gomphos elkema, as it is known, is the oldest member of the rabbit family ever to be found. "
Does this qualify for GGG ping or maybe just the digest?
Forget the stupid 'rabbit' - I want to know who the guy is that dug up this 'rabbit' over 55 million years ago and is just now getting around to telling us about it. Talk about being slow, or else REALLY good at keeping a secret.
Maybe we could get him to go to work for the Los Alamos labs or CIA.
;^D
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