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How common were mammals in the Cretaceous?


aplomado

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Actually pretty common. From right near me, a footprint plate had a few different types of mammals. Arundelconodon are some remains found near me. Mammals were found in almost every continent and ranged from small multituberculates To larger (cat sized) mammals. 

“...whilst this planet has gone cycling on according to the fixed law of gravity, from so simple a beginning endless forms most beautiful and most wonderful have been and are being evolved.” ~ Charles Darwin

Happy hunting,

Mason

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They were a very diverse group and have to believe common place.  The type of mammals evolved from the Jurassic to the late Cretaceous due to dietary changes with the flourishing of flowering plants.  The North American faunal list is quite impressive with Didelphodon being one of the largest. 

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Mammals had been around since the triassic period giving them lots of time to increase in population and variation well into the cretaceous, one of the reasons mammals became dominant in later years after the KT mass extinction was the variety of smaller mammals already inhabiting the earth, however a lot of these animals were not true mammals, but rather proto mammals; mammal like reptiles, like the ones listed below. It wouldn't be until later that the wide variety of mammalian fauna like today would emerge, and eventually inherit the earth.  Hope this helps. :ptero:

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rydysig.JPG

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