Die vergessene Urzeit | Folge 3: Der Beginn der Säugetiere | Slice Doku

For a long time, it was believed that mammals only began their triumphant march after the extinction of the dinosaurs—as silent beneficiaries of a global catastrophe. But spectacular fossil finds in Liaoning, China, have fundamentally changed this picture. At the beginning of the 21st century, exceptionally well-preserved fossils came to light there: Eomaia scansoria, an early ancestor of placental mammals; Repenomamus giganticus, as large as a dog; and Volaticotherium antiquus, a gliding mammal. Using state-of-the-art 3D technologies, scientists are now reconstructing the evolutionary advantages of our early ancestors: fur, milk production, specialized teeth, and sensitive hearing. But one central question remained controversial for a long time: When did placental mammals and marsupials diverge? The discovery of Juramaia sinensis in 2011 pushed our family tree back another 35 million years—and proved that our ancestors already existed around 160 million years ago. Title: Lost Worlds: Dawn of the Mammals Directed by: Emma Baus & Bernard Loyer Production: Saint-Thomas Productions, Arte (2016) #documentary #free #documentary #prehistoric #paleontology #giantinsects #evolution #naturalhistory #science #earthhistory #cgi #fossils #mammals #dinosaurs