Colorado ‘swamp dweller’ that lived alongside dinosaurs discovered
A team of palaeontologists led by Jaelyn Eberle from the University of Colorado Boulder has made an exciting discovery near Rangely, Colorado, a fossilized mammal that roamed the area around 70 to 75 million years ago, during the age of dinosaurs. This newly identified species, named Heleocola piceanus, is about the size of a muskrat and was likely a swamp dweller, thriving in the lush, marshy environments of a prehistoric inland sea that covered much of the western United States.
The researchers published their findings on 23rd October in the journal PLOS ONE, based on a fragment of jawbone and three molar teeth. Eberle, who is also the curator of fossil vertebrates at the CU Museum of Natural History, remarked on the significance of finding mammals from this era in Colorado, noting that such fossils are exceedingly rare.
“Colorado is a great place to find fossils, but mammals from this time period tend to be pretty rare,” Eberle stated. “So it’s really neat to see this slice of time preserved in Colorado.”
Despite its small size compared to larger dinosaurs like Tyrannosaurus rex, H. piceanus was relatively large for mammals of its time, weighing an estimated two pounds or more. This animal, a distant relative of modern marsupials, likely fed on plants, supplemented by insects and small animals.
Co-authors John Foster and ReBecca Hunt-Foster, who have spent nearly 15 years excavating fossils in this region, emphasize the ecological diversity of ancient Colorado. The area, reminiscent of present-day Louisiana, supported a variety of species, including turtles, duck-billed dinosaurs, and giant crocodiles.
“This discovery highlights the importance of mammals in Late Cretaceous ecosystems,” Eberle noted, reminding the public that not all prehistoric animals were small and insignificant. Hunt-Foster encouraged visitors to public lands to respect fossil sites, urging them to report any vertebrate fossils they encounter to local museums or agencies.
As research continues, H. piceanus provides a crucial glimpse into a time when mammals were beginning to carve out their ecological niches amid the dominance of dinosaurs.
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