Hairless and earless dog: Scientists have discovered a mysterious ancestor of all mammals.

The Gorgonops - the ancestor of all mammals. Photo: nature.com

Imagine a dog the size of a husky. But hairless, bald like a sphinx cat. And without ears. However, it has sharp, long teeth resembling sabers. Quite a charming creature, right?

According to scientists, all mammals evolved from it. And just to remind you, we, from a biological perspective, also belong to the group of mammals. So, it's not a stranger to us.

PRIMORDIAL RESORT

Its name is Gorgonops. And it was discovered on the Spanish island of Mallorca in the Mediterranean Sea.

Actually, Gorgonops have been known to paleontologists for a long time. However, until now, their remains have mostly been found in our Russian North (more on that later), and also on the other side of the world - in South Africa. Yet this particular husky-sphinx, which somehow ended up in Mallorca (probably on a hot deal from the Permian period!), seems to be the oldest specimen. It is approximately 270 - 280 million years old.

- It is likely the oldest Gorgonops on Earth. It is at least 270 million years old. All previously found specimens in other parts of the planet are younger, - claims Josep Fortuny, head of the computer biomechanics and evolution group at the Catalan Institute of Paleontology.

Though there’s no passport left, who can prove otherwise now?

The bones were discovered in the Sierra de Tramuntana mountains in Mallorca. This extraordinary finding is considered significant by the authors of the scientific article published in the prestigious journal Nature Communications.

TEETH? TAIL? THE MAIN THING - LEGS!

Gorgonops is the very branch of evolution from which mammals will emerge 50 million years later. And it will completely separate from the sauropoids, the ancestors of reptiles and birds.

Furthermore, it is the progenitor of all saber-toothed predators. It was the first to grow sharp fangs.

Gorgonops were warm-blooded and carnivorous. They did not give birth to live young but laid eggs. Externally, they resembled hairless, earless dogs. The Spanish creature was small, about one meter long. Our northern counterparts could grow up to 3.5 meters - like a polar bear!

- The large number of well-preserved bones was a surprise. We found fragments of the skull, spine, ribs, and almost an entire femur. We couldn't even imagine such luck! - says Rafael Matamales, curator of the Balearic Museum of Natural Sciences and a researcher at the Catalan Institute of Paleontology.

Wings, legs... but the main thing is the tail! That's how it was in a Soviet cartoon. However, in the Spanish findings, the main focus is on the legs. The bones have been so well preserved over all these millions of years that they have allowed scientists to understand how Gorgonops walked for the first time and to visually see the course of evolution! The leg movements of the Mallorcan creature represent a transitional stage between reptiles and mammals. Imagine a crocodile with its legs splayed out in different directions. And a swift, graceful doe. Gorgonops had already begun moving from the crocodile to the doe and could run faster than its contemporaries. This is a clear advantage when hunting.

INTERNATIVIA AND VIATKOGORGON

The patriarch from Mallorca has relatives in Russia. Internativia, Pravoslavlevia, and Viatkogorgon. Have you imagined some foreigners who embraced Orthodoxy millions of years ago? That would be a mistake. These fossil creatures were named after outstanding Russian geological scientists, Professor Alexander Alexandrovich Internatsev and Doctor of Sciences Pavel Alexandrovich Pravoslavlev.

Internativia and Pravoslavlevia were found in the territory of what is now the Arkhangelsk region back in the late 19th and early 20th centuries. Another Gorgonops was discovered on the Vyatka River (now in Kirov Oblast) and was named Viatkogorgon. Ah, all the fantasy masters with their Aragorns and Dumbledores should take creativity and sound workshops from our paleontologists!

Whether Viatkogorgons visited their uncle in Mallorca remains unknown to science. However, in those distant times, Mallorca was not a resort. It wasn't even an island... It was part of the gigantic supercontinent Pangea.

But there was something special about this fragmented part. It is no coincidence that not only the progenitor of all mammals was found on Mallorca, but also the world's right mosquito!

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