#cenozoic — Public Fediverse posts

Mammals have developed some unusual eating habits over the past 100 million years, but a new study has uncovered the surprising lengths to which some have gone to satisfy one of the more peculiar—a taste for #ants and #termites.

Mammals independently evolved specialized adaptations for exclusively feeding on ants and termites at least 12 times since the #Cenozoic era began, roughly 66 million years ago.

The #convergent #evolution among #mammals toward this dietary strategy—called #myrmecophagy—emerged following the K-Pg #extinction and fall of non-avian dinosaurs, which reshaped ecosystems and set the stage for ant and termite colonies to rapidly expand worldwide.

Over 200 mammal #species are known to eat ants and termites today, yet only about 20 true myrmecophages—such as giant anteaters, aardvarks and pangolins—have evolved traits like long sticky tongues, specialized claws and stomachs, and reduced or missing teeth, to efficiently consume thousands of these insects daily as their sole food source.

#evolution #ecology #biology
https://phys.org/news/2025-07-mammals-evolved-ant-eaters-dinosaur.html

Vida et al. (2025):
https://academic.oup.com/evolut/article-abstract/79/10/2315/8155241

Cenozoic Exhumation Across The High Plains Of Southeastern Colorado From (U-Th)/He Thermochronology
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https://doi.org/10.2113/2023/lithosphere_2023_310 <-- shared paper
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[as a geologist and an adventure rider – and a Colorado resident that loves history - I have travelled all over this area; first photo is mine, my motorcycle under the Apishapa Arch in Aguilar, Colorado, a 1930s Civilian Conservation Corps project through a volcanic dyke, ‘coincidentally’ providing better access to land that a senator had purchased up around Cuchara and Cordova Passes]
#GIS #spatial #mapping #geology #Colorado #structuralgeology #Cenozoic #Thermochronology #model #modeling #3dmodeling #HighPlains #RockyMountains #Tertiary #intrusives #volcanics #vulcanism #SpanishPeaks #ApishapaArch #dates #dating #erosions #peneplanation #dikes #dykes