A new study published in the journal Current Biology says that human ancestors did live with dinosaurs for a short time before the beasts went extinct.
The study says that early mammals evolved before a massive asteroid hit the planet 66 million years ago and therefore lived briefly with dinosaurs.
The researchers did an in-depth analysis of the fossil record for placenta mammals, which included humans, rabbits, dogs and bats. This has provided several answers to researchers regarding the long-debated question.
The mammals survived until an asteroid marked the end of the Cretaceous Period and the reign of larger dinosaurs. These mammals exploded in diversity, which led to the world we see today.
“We pulled together thousands of fossils of placental mammals and were able to see the patterns of origination and extinction of the different groups,” says Emily Carlisle, a researcher at the University of Bristol, in a press release. “Based on this, we could estimate when placental mammals evolved.”
Ms Carlisle – along with other palaeontologists from the University of Bristol and the University of Fribourg analysed seven mammalian families with fossils extending dating back to 66 million years ago.
The researchers discovered that Primates (the human lineage), Lagomorpha (rabbits and hares) and Carnivora (dogs and cats) evolved right before the mass extinction.
“The model we used estimates origination ages based on when lineages first appear in the fossil record and the pattern of species diversity through time for the lineage,” co-author Daniele Silvestro from the University of Fribourg shared.
Researchers believe that the lack of competition from dinosaurs allowed placenta mammals to evolve and diversify.