Study Finds: The Life Of Pantolambda's Were Larger Than Most Mammals

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Pantolambda bathmodon, a stocky, now-extinct mammal, lived 62 million years ago and reached roughly 92 lbs in adulthood, which was a much larger size than most mammals that came before.  Video credit: G. Funston Music: "Sheep Rotation" by Jobii

Transcript

00:00A new study gives a unique window into the life of our ancient cousin, an animal called Pantolambda.

00:07Paleontologists learned about its growth by making thin sections,

00:11cutting the bones and teeth thin enough to let light shine through. This let Dr. Funston and

00:16his colleagues look at growth marks recording the days and years of Pantolambda's life.

00:23Features of the bone show how fast it grew and how many years old it was when it died.

00:30The teeth give a more precise record showing daily pulses of growth during the animal's early life.

00:39The teeth also record a birth line showing when the animal was born.

00:44The team looked further into the life of Pantolambda by analyzing the chemistry of the teeth.

00:50Using a precise laser to vaporize small amounts of material,

00:54they mapped the composition of the teeth.

00:56This showed chemical changes associated with major events in the animal's life, like birth.

01:04Using the daily growth marks in the teeth, this allowed them to precisely estimate how long

01:08Pantolambda mothers were pregnant, and how long the babies suckled before they were independent.

01:15Based on the birth line in the teeth, the team showed that Pantolambda was pregnant for seven

01:19months and the baby's teeth developed quickly. Babies' teeth developed quickly, but the

01:26babies suckled for about one to two months, meaning that they were independent early in life.

01:31Using marks in the bones, the team found that Pantolambda would have reached sexual maturity

01:36in about one year, and they had a short lifespan, with most individuals dying at about four years

01:42old, but some individuals living up to 11 years of age. This study shows that Pantolambda gave

01:48birth to well-developed young, like many living species of hoofed mammals. This is the earliest

01:54evidence of this type of lifestyle in the fossil record, and it gives the clearest picture yet

02:00into the lifestyle of a long-extinct mammal. Learn more about the study and

02:05its importance by checking out the paper, Out Now in Nature.

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