You are dinosaurs Long reign on earth. It took about 165 million years to conquer all the continents on the planet, leaving behind marks that humans study to this day. Even if it wasn’t the meteor that left such a massive trail of destruction, they could still be alive in the modern era.
However, little that is said is that dinosaurs were not the only creatures that roamed the world at the time. Curious to know which species share the same space with these massive creatures? Check out this list we’ve collected of five of the most bizarre creatures that lived alongside dinosaurs!
1. Megazostrodone
(Source: Wikimedia Commons)
200 million years ago, a small creature roamed the arid soil of present-day France in the late Triassic period. This animal was called megazostrodon, a transitional form between mammalian and true mammalian cynodonts, but it actually resembles a mouse or shrew.
Megazostrodons are viewed as super-important creatures for understanding mammalian evolution, but their exact place in the class family tree remains controversial. Small like that, the preferred diet of these animals was insects that roamed the area.
2. Stenopterygius
(Source: Wikimedia Commons)
Ichthyosaurs were a mixture of lizard and fish, a very diverse group of marine reptiles that appeared 250 million years ago. Among them, what stands out the most is stenopterygiusan animal very similar to a dolphin.
Although not a warm-blooded creature, these ichthyosaurs were able to regulate their body temperatures to some extent – which is very important for reptiles that swim in the depths of the ocean. According to research, ichthyosaurs became extinct 90 million years ago, which is 25 million years before the non-avian dinosaurs.
3. Castorocauda
(Source: Wikimedia Commons)
Many of the animals that inhabit our planet today evolved from ancestors who walked the earth along with dinosaurs. a Castorocauda lutrasimilisFor example, evidence of how nature appears to repeat certain patterns. This was a species with many characteristics of modern beavers, from webbed feet to a flat tail.
However, the Castoroka They had a narrow skull, equipped with needle-sharp teeth – ideal for fishing. At this point, it can be said that these animals also have a bit of a modern-day otter in their DNA. Unlike most modern mammals, it likely laid eggs and had a bird-like lifestyle. platypus.
4. The ancient platypus
(Source: Wikimedia Commons)
Speaking of platypus, these strange creatures have also shown their charms in the past. However, they were not exactly as we know them now. The modern platypus descends from a very ancient lineage, the oldest relative of which is known as Teinolophos trusleri.
Although most of the fossils of these animals are incomplete, everything indicates that the traits that made the platypus such a unique creature began about 120 million years ago.
5. Primates
(Source: Wikimedia Commons)
As dinosaurs roamed the earth, primates They didn’t have much of a dominating role. And soon our ancestors were left to hide in the tops of trees or in pits in the ground. Studies indicate that janisae cleanser – One of the first primates or its direct ancestors – lived 81 million years ago.
However, this species is very similar to the combination of a squirrel and a ferret, only with flexible ankle and wrist joints. With the extinction of the dinosaurs, primates gained more space to rule the Earth and had more room to evolve, reaching what we know today.
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