On Wednesday, Oct. 23, a journal published by Plos One revealed that paleontologists from Utah State Parks, Dinosaur National Monument, the University of Colorado, Loyola Marymount University and Appalachian State University discovered the jaw bone and three teeth of a new mammal species. The mammal, named Heleocola piceanus, was found near the Colorado-Utah border.
Helecola lived during the Cretaceous, between 75 to 70 million years ago. This falls during the last 10 to 20 million years of the dinosaurs. The teeth were larger than many other mammals during that time. It’s uncommon to find mammal fossils in that area, so many creatures are identified by their teeth.
“The paleontologists who published on the fossil based the new species on a jaw bone and teeth,” said Grant Shimer, a geoscience professor at Southern Utah University. “Unique teeth are the common way to describe new species of mammals, often based on the shape of the molars.”
Using the dimensions of the teeth, Helecola is estimated to have been about the same size as today’s muskrat. This is much larger than other mammals during the time of the dinosaurs.
Helecola is believed to have lived in a swampy land. This area near northwestern Colorado and northeastern Utah, where the fossils were discovered, has trails of sediments from wetter environments. The sediments can be seen in river channels, swamps, lagoons and shallow marine settings.
The original rock was taken from the site in 2016 and parts of the jaw fossil were later discovered in 2018.
In the same area as Helecola, there have been discoveries of other dinosaurs, fish, amphibians, lizards, crocodiles and turtles.
To find out more about this new species, read the article in Plos One.
Author: Maddi Munro
Photos courtesy of Aelyn Eberle/Plos One via University of Colorado
Graphic Courtesy of Brian Engh
Editor: Chevy Blackburn
Copy Editor: Kayd Johanson
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