09/02/2016
Oldest Carnivoran Mammal of Europe Discovered
Researchers of our Institute have described the oldest mammalian predator of Europe. Vassacyon prieuri from Northern France is 57 million years old and is considered the earliest ancestor of modern-day cats and dogs. “The fossil exemplifies the early flourishing of carnivoran mammals on our continent after the dinosaurs became extinct”, says RBINS palaeontologist Floréal Solé, who collaborated with Romanian and French colleagues.
