Overview

• 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.