Newly Discovered 'Swamp Dweller' Sheds Light on Late Cretaceous Mammals

A fossil mammal named Heleocola piceanus, found in Colorado, reveals surprising insights into mammalian life 70 million years ago.

Heleocola piceanus is a newly identified species from the Late Cretaceous period, discovered in Rangely, Colorado.
The fossil, consisting of a jawbone and molar teeth, indicates the mammal was larger than most contemporaneous species, weighing over 2 pounds.
This discovery fills a gap in the fossil record, offering a glimpse into a poorly documented time slice of North American prehistory.
The region where Heleocola lived was a swampy environment, akin to modern-day Louisiana, along the Western Interior Seaway.
Researchers emphasize the significance of such finds in understanding mammalian evolution during the age of dinosaurs.