July 28, 2009 -- The world's first known tree-dwelling vertebrate has just been identified, according to a new study. The tiny, agile animal lived 30 million years before the first dinosaurs and was a distant relative of mammals, including humans. More than 15 near-complete skeletons of the 260-million-year-old animal, named Suminia getmanovi, reveal that it was built for an arboreal lifestyle. "As the first tree-climbing vertebrate, Suminia had very long fore and hind limbs, with especially long hands and feet," lead author Jorg Frobisch told Discovery News. "In particular, its long fingers, or digits, contributed to these large hands and feet," added Frobisch, a Field Museum paleontologist. "It further had long, strongly-curved claws -- terminal phalanges -- that helped with clinging onto tree trunks and branches." He and co-author Robert Reisz of the University of Toronto made these determinations after studying multiple skeletons, which were encased in a big, Late Paleozoic mudstone block excavated from central Russia. Related Content:
A few other previous specimens allowed the species to be named and briefly described in 1994, but little was known about its appearance and behavior. The recent analysis, outlined in the latest issue of the Proceedings of the Royal Society B, shows the vertebrate was about 20 inches long from its nose to the tip of its grasping tail. It had an opposable thumb and belonged to a class of animals known as the Synapsida. The word "synapsid" comes from the name of an opening behind the eye socket. Only one other group, mammals, possesses this opening, thought to have provided space for jaw muscles needed for chewing, according to information provided by the American Museum of Natural History, which supports the human-Synapsida connection. "Non-mammalian synapsids were formerly unofficially known as 'mammal-like reptiles,' but they are actually not at all reptiles, but are more closely related to mammals," Frobisch said, adding that Suminia indeed "is a distant relative of mammals." Other Paleozoic synapsids included Edaphosaurus and Dimetrodon, which both looked somewhat like a cross between an iguana and a dinosaur with a boat sail tacked on its back. Get More NewsSpiders, Scorpions Among World's Oldest CreaturesMany creepy crawlies have been on Earth much longer than previously believed.Blood-Sucking Vampire Bats Sing DuetsWhite-winged vampire bats "harmonize" with separated roost mates.Oldest Hebrew Writing Possibly FoundAncient inscriptions on a 3,000-year-old pottery shard could make history.Rare, Prehistoric-Age Reptile Found in N.Z.A tuatara has been spotted on the New Zealand mainland for the first time in 200 years.Iceman Has No Living RelativesOetzi, the 5,300 year-old frozen mummy, left no living genetic legacy.SLIDE SHOW: Landscapes of TerrorWhat makes a place feel scary? There are scientific explanations.It's Official: People Are Warming the PolesHumans are conclusively to blame for polar warming, say scientists.Eight-Armed Animal Preceded DinosaursWhat may be one of Earth's first animals was no bigger than a coaster and had eight arms.Phoenicians Live on in People's GenesOne in 17 Mediterranean men may be descended from ancient Phoenicians.Pesticides, Fertilizers Linked to Frog DeclineA pesticide is found to promote parasites among amphibians.Hubble Telescope Taking Photos AgainThe Hubble Space Telescope is once again snapping stunning photos of the universe.Andean Mummy Hairs Show Hallucinogen UseScientists find direct evidence of hallucinogenic drug use among ancient Andeans.Opals on Mars Reveal Planet's Long Wet PastOpals found on Mars suggest the planet has been wet for much longer. |
advertisement
Top Stories Today10 Feb
10 Feb
10 Feb
10 Feb
10 Feb
10 Feb
10 Feb
10 Feb
10 Feb
10 Feb
|
-
our sites
-
video
mobile
-
shop
-
stay connected
-
corporate
