Fossil Overturns Ideas of Jurassic Mammals

AP ^ | February 23, 2006 2:43 PM EST | RANDOLPH E. SCHMID

[VadeRetro]

This image provided by the journal Science shows a Castorcauda lustrasimilis, a docodont mammaliaform from the Middle Jurrassic .Characterized by an evolutionary convergence of its "beaver-like" tail, and some dental feautres for feeding small fish and invertebrates convergent to that of an otter. MARK A. KLINGER

WASHINGTON - The discovery of a furry, beaver-like animal that lived at the time of dinosaurs has overturned more than a century of scientific thinking about Jurassic mammals.

The find shows that the ecological role of mammals in the time of dinosaurs was far greater than previously thought, said Zhe-Xi Luo, curator of vertebrate paleontology at Carnegie Museum of Natural History in Pittsburgh.

The animal is the earliest swimming mammal to have been found and was the most primitive mammal to be preserved with fur, which is important to helping keep a constant body temperature, Luo said in a telephone interview.

[VadeRetro]

Must be tough on the knees.

[GreenFreeper]

Cool critter!

[Tokra]

Extinct Giant Beaver:

[blowfish]

I think he's implying that the process of discovering new evidence means that all existing theories are invalid.
I assume he also believes that the discovery of a new element invalidates the existing periodic table.

[Tax-chick]

Aquatic mammals normally have very durable furs

So do some non-aquatic mammals. I had a mink cape that was 35 years old when I gave it a friend who actually had occasion to wear a mink cape :-).

[editor-surveyor]

" I just had it stuffed..."

I'll be nice and not ask what you stuffed it with :o)

[Tax-chick]

Isn't that a Nutria?

[areafiftyone]

Fossil Overturns Ideas of Jurassic Mammals,

Has someone told Helen Thomas yet?

[PatrickHenry]

Please remember to use proper terminology in this thread. Using moderator-compliant FReepSpeak^tm, we now say "frequently-repeated error," sometimes called (after the poster has received numerous corrections) a "compulsively repeated error."

[Sopater]

Crea: How do you know that that animal was millions of years old?

Evo: Because, it was found in rock that is millions of years old.

Crea: Oh, and how do you know that the rock is millions of years old?

Evo: Becuase, dummy, it has a fossil in it that is millions of years old... Aren't you paying attention?

Crea: Oh, yeah...

[GSlob]

Still amazing. The dream of furriers' trade.

[kinsman redeemer]

Amen!

A house of cards, built on sand. Great will be it fall!
(Mt 7:24-27)

[VadeRetro]

No mention of how this new find, beaver-tail otter-similar, falls out on the monotreme-marsupial-placental typology (is it too early?) or what its ear/jaw bones are like.

[CarolinaGuitarman]

"Just a matter of time until all will have to recognize that the house of cards is burning as it falls."

Too late. YEC fell a long time ago. :)

[VadeRetro]

Your post is a "frequently repeated error."

Where the dates come from.

[oldleft]

[CarolinaGuitarman]

"frequently repeated error."

:)

[GreenFreeper]

No its a artist rendition of a Docodont

this is a Nutria:

[null and void]

Miss Spencer! This is
Lieutenant Drebin from Police Squad.



Hello...Mr Drebin.



Hello.



Oh!



Her hair was the colour
of gold in old paintings.



She had a full set of curves



and the kind of legs
you'd like to suck on for a day.



She gave me a look
l could feel in my hip pocket.



Yep, this was starting
to get interesting.



- Nice beaver.
- Thank you.



- l just had it stuffed.

[RadioAstronomer]

OMG! ROFL!