Forget everything you knew about the reign of the dinosaurs: prehistoric mammals lived alongside them

It is very difficult to know exactly the history of the Earth. For millions of years, the planet was inhabited by species that no longer exist. This is the case of dinosaurs, which became extinct millions of years ago, but we know of their existence because of the legacy they left on the planet in the form of fossils.

It has been approximately 66 million years since the extinction of the dinosaurs, so knowing any details about them might seem like a miracle, but the reality is that science is advancing by leaps and bounds and more and more accurate and clear details are being learned about the habitat of these beings on Earth.

In fact, a recent study led by the University of Bristol has revealed new information that could change what we know so far about dinosaurs. Many mammals began to adapt to terrestrial life millions of years before the asteroid impact that caused the mass extinction of the dinosaurs, so there may have been a period in history when both species coexisted.

These studies focused on a discovery of unusually small bones. By analyzing tiny fossil fragments of marsupial and placental mammal limb bones in western North America, the researchers found evidence that these animals were already moving away from being arboreal to living on the ground.

Mammals that adapted to the ground had fewer problems after the asteroid impact

In fact, this transition to the ground suggests to researchers that it may have been more decisive in the future of the species than the struggle for survival alongside the dinosaurs.

In addition, the study indicates that mammals that did not adapt to the ground and remained in the trees suffered to a greater extent from the impact of the asteroid that wiped out the dinosaurs, so it is clear that this adaptation to the ground may have been key to survival.

These findings could change a large part of the studies known so far on the coexistence of mammals and dinosaurs.