Tritylodontids are the last known family of
near-mammalian reptiles, before mammals with features such as advanced
hearing evolved. Researchers have uncovered dozens of fossilized teeth
in Kuwajima, Japan and identified this as a new species of
tritylodontid. This suggests that tritylodontids co-existed with some of
the earliest mammal species for millions of years. Credit: Seishi
Yamamoto/Hiroshige Matsuoka
