Fossils found in Belgium provide invaluable information

The fossils belong to a common ancestor of dogs, cats, bears and other carnivores. With 250 fossilised teeth, scientists were able to map the full dental structure of the Dormaalocyon latouri. This predecessor of cats and dogs, one of the so-called “carnivoraforms”, lived about 55 million years ago. The new research illustrates that the origin of carnivoraforms lies in Europe.

Apart from the teeth, the discovery also included ankle bones, which show that the species lived in the trees and moved via tree tops. “Knowledge about the origin of carnivoraforms is important to reconstruct the adaptation of mammals to a carnivore diet,” explains Floréal Solé of the research group. “The Dormaalocyon latouri  provides useful information concerning the evolution of these mammals after the extinction of the largest dinosaurs.”

photo: Illustration of how Dormaalocyon latouri looked 55 million years ago