Skip to main content

Illinois IGB

Vermin

Endangered venomous mammal predates dinosaurs’ extinction

May 2, 2016

The University of Illinois and University of Puerto Rico have completely sequenced the mitochondrial genome for the Hispaniolan solenodon, filling in the last major branch of placental mammals on the tree of life.

The study, published in Mitochondrial DNA, confirmed that the venomous mammal diverged from all other living mammals 78 million years ago, long before an asteroid wiped out the dinosaurs.


May 2, 2016


Related Articles

Subscribe to Vermin