Name:
Eomaia (Greek for "dawn mother"); pronounced EE-oh-MY-ah
Habitat:
Woodlands of Asia
Historical Period:
Early Cretaceous (125 million years ago)
Size and Weight:
About 6 inches long and a few ounces
Diet:
Insects
Distinguishing Characteristics:
Complex teeth; long tail; two layers of fur
About Eomaia:
Most early mammals are known only by their teeth, which is why Eomaia is such a spectacular find: this mouse-sized critter is represented by a single, complete fossil, which shows such rarely preserved details as fur and ears. Based on an analysis of its remains, evolutionary biologists believe that Eomaia was ancestral to all the placental mammals, the females sporting a relatively primitive (but functional) placenta that allowed them to give birth to live young. To date, Eomaia is the oldest placental mammal known, predating all other such fossil finds by a whopping 40 million years.
