Researchers report a previously undescribed species of Cretaceous period island-dwelling mammal from present-day Romania; the mammal exhibits several unusual characteristics, including a domed skull and an extremely small brain relative to body size with relatively enlarged regions related to sensory processing, indicating that adaptability to island environments developed early in the evolutionary history of mammals, according to the authors.
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Article #18-01143: "Dome-headed, small-brained island mammal from the Late Cretaceous of Romania," by Zoltan Csiki-Sava, Mátyás Vremir, Jin Meng, Stephen Brusatte, and Mark Norell.
MEDIA CONTACT: Zoltan Csiki-Sava, Bucharest University, ROMANIA; tel: +40722844810; e-mail: < zoltan.csiki@g.unibuc.ro >
Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences