What began as a school excursion along the cliffs of Dorset turned into the discovery of a new prehistoric species. A 16.5mm mandible, embedded in rock near Swanage, is now reshaping the way scientists view the early evolution of mammals.
The discovery was made by an undergraduate student from the University of Portsmouth. The fossil belongs to a type of extinct mammal called polytuberous.
These small rodent-like creatures once lived alongside dinosaurs and were known for their complex teeth.
A strange jaw, a surprising species
The fossil was discovered in Durlston Bay, a site famous for its rich geological strata. It is the first multituberous jaw found there since the 1800s.
Although at first glance it looks a bit like a rabbit’s jaw, the tooth structure tells a different story. A sharp incisor protrudes forward, followed by a gap and then four blade-like premolars.
“I immediately had my suspicions about what the jaw was when I found it on the beach, but I couldn’t imagine where the discovery would take me,” said Ben Weston, an undergraduate palaeontology student.
“I am extremely grateful to the team and the university for helping me take my first steps in academic paleontology.”
Researchers at the University of Portsmouth have confirmed that the fossil is from a species that has never been identified before.
Technology gives life to the fossil
The fossil was not easy to examine. The rock was still attached to key parts of the sample. To overcome this, the team turned to high-resolution computed tomography.
Dr Charles Wood, senior scientist at the university, scanned the fossil, allowing scientists to see inside the rock without destroying the specimen.
Jake Keane, a former Portsmouth palaeontology student now working in Abu Dhabi, helped edit the scans. In just a few hours he digitally removed the surrounding rock and isolated the teeth in detail.
The scans were then turned into 3D printed models by John Fearnly, chief technician at the university’s School of Technology. These models were ten times larger than the original, making it safer and easier to study the fossil in depth.
The new mammal gets a name
The team named the new species Novaculadon mirabilis. “Novacula” means razor, a nod to his sharp back teeth. “Mirabilis” refers to the almost perfect preservation of the jaw.
Portsmouth student Hamzah Imran created an artistic rendering of the animal. It is imagined as a small, furry creature with a mixture of spots and stripes – although its true appearance remains speculative.
Based on his teeth, Novaculadon mirabilis probably ate insects and other small invertebrates. Its truncated premolars and pointed incisors set it apart from modern rodents such as rats or squirrels.
A hotspot for new mammal species
It is not the first time a student has made a great find in the same area. In 2017, another Portsmouth graduate, Grant Smith, discovered fossils of two new species of mammals believed to be among humanity’s earliest relatives.
Dr. Steve Sweetman, a researcher at the University of Portsmouth, also worked on this new discovery.
“This is a remarkable find that reminds me of when Grant found these extraordinary teeth of eutherian mammals,” Dr Sweetman said.
“When I first saw Grant’s specimens, my jaw dropped – and I had exactly the same reaction to Ben’s multituberculate jaw. It’s incredible that Durlston Bay continues to deliver such important mammal discoveries from our undergraduates.”
Evolution from the tiny jaw
Beyond the scientific significance, the discovery highlights the value of collaborative research.
“Looking back now that the discovery has been published, I’m amazed at how many people it took to describe this small mammal,” said Professor David Martill.
“I particularly appreciated that all team members were university staff or current and former students – a real team effort involving academics, technicians, alumni and students with diverse talents across three departments.”
The fossil helps researchers better understand how early mammals survived during the age of the dinosaurs. While polychaetes lived through the mass extinction that wiped out the dinosaurs, they eventually went extinct during the Oligocene, about 33 million years ago.
With more than 200 known species, polychaetes were the most diverse group of mammals in the Mesozoic Era. They filled many ecological roles – some burrowed, others climbed trees. This new discovery adds to what we know about their evolution and survival.
And it serves as a reminder that important scientific contributions can come from anyone – even a 22-year-old student on a windswept Dorset beach.
Image Source: Hamzah Imran
The full study was published in the journal Proceedings of the Association of Geologists.
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