The heyday of mammals began with the catastrophe: when A huge asteroid about 66 million years ago In what is now Mexico’s Yucatan Peninsula, it radically changed life on the planet. Tidal waves, earthquakes and deadly gases in the atmosphere caused the extinction of many species. Dinosaurs were particularly affected. The undisputed rulers of the animal kingdom are now dying.
Most of the mammals that lived at that time also disappeared from the scene. Only a few species survived. But for the mammals, which until then lived in the shadow of the dinosaurs, the disaster was a stroke of luck – Now the climax has begun. More and more species have appeared and occupied more and more ecological niches. Soon the world was inhabited by countless mammals of all kinds, including our ancestors.
Researchers investigate the developments of this time primarily with the help of excavations in the various rock layers on Earth. In doing so, they found evidence for a role for the placenta as an evolutionary feature and also for brain size. Because here it applies Not always the “bigger equals better” formula.
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