Study Shows The Life Of Pantolambda's Were Larger Than Most Mammals

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Pantolambda bathmodon, a stocky, now-extinct mammal, lived 62 million years ago and reached roughly 92 lbs in adulthood, which was a much larger size than most mammals that came before.  Video credit: G. Funston Music: "Sheep Rotation" by Jobii

Transcript

00:00 A new study gives a unique window into the life of our ancient cousin, an animal called Pantolambda.

00:05 Paleontologists learned about its growth by making thin sections,

00:10 cutting the bones and teeth thin enough to let light shine through. This let Dr. Funston and

00:16 his colleagues look at growth marks recording the days and years of Pantolambda's life.

00:21 Features of the bone show how fast it grew and how many years old it was when it died.

00:28 The teeth give a more precise record, showing daily pulses of growth during the animal's early life.

00:35 The teeth also record a birth line, showing when the animal was born.

00:41 The team looked further into the life of Pantolambda by analyzing the chemistry of the teeth.

00:47 Using a precise laser to vaporize small amounts of material,

00:53 they mapped the composition of the teeth.

00:55 This showed chemical changes associated with major events in the animal's life, like birth.

01:00 Using the daily growth marks in the teeth, this allowed them to precisely estimate how long

01:07 Pantolambda mothers were pregnant, and how long the babies suckled before they were independent.

01:12 Based on the birth line in the teeth, the team showed the Pantolambda was pregnant for seven

01:18 months and the baby's teeth developed quickly. The animal's teeth were also growing quickly.

01:24 The baby's teeth developed quickly. Babies suckled for about one to two months,

01:28 meaning that they were independent early in life.

01:30 Using marks in the bones, the team found that Pantolambda would have reached sexual maturity

01:36 in about one year. And they had a short lifespan, with most individuals dying at about four years

01:42 old, but some individuals living up to 11 years of age. This study shows that Pantolambda gave

01:48 birth to well-developed young, like many living species of hoofed mammals. This is the earliest

01:54 evidence of this type of lifestyle in the fossil record, and it gives the clearest picture yet

02:00 into the lifestyle of a long-extinct mammal. Learn more about the study and its importance

02:05 by checking out the paper, Out Now in Nature.

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