A low-lying continent that was home to exotic fauna may have paved the way for Asian mammals to colonize southern Europe, according to new research.
When sea levels dropped and a land bridge was built, this forgotten continent became a gateway between Asia and Europe.
When and how the first wave of Asian mammals made it to south-eastern Europe remains poorly understood, according to a new study.
The result was dramatic. Huge numbers of native mammals disappeared from Western Europe at the end of the last century as new Asian mammals emerged.
Recent fossil findings in the Balkans suggest that Asian mammals may have colonised southeastern Europe as early as 5 to 10 million years ago.
The evidence from all known fossil sites in the area was re-examined by the French National Centre for Scientific Research.
The age of these sites was revised based on current geological data, and the team reconstructed paleogeographic changes that transpired in the region, which has a complex history of episodic drowning and re-emergence.
They found that the transformation of the ancient landmass into a land bridge and the invasion of Asian mammals were related.
40 million years ago and at the present day. Métais/CNRS is written byAlexis Licht, Grégoire Métais.
A unique collection of animals distinct from those of Europe and eastern Asia thrived on an isolated archipelago 50 million years ago.
Between 40 to 34 million years ago, a combination of falling sea levels, growing ice sheets and tectonic shifts connected the Balkans to Western Europe.
The fossil record shows that Asian mammals, including rodents and four-legged hoofed mammals, were able to invade Balkanatolia.
A rhinoceros-like animal, which they dated to around 38 to 35 million years ago, was discovered at a new fossil site in Turkey.
An Asian mammal has an upper molar. Métais/CNRS is written byAlexis Licht, Grégoire Métais.
The oldest Asian-like ungulate discovered in Anatolia to date is 1.5 million years old and suggests that Asian mammals were on their way to Europe via Balkanatolia.
The southern pathway to Europe was more favorable for adventurous animals than the higher latitude routes through Central Asia were at the time, according to Licht and colleagues.
They point out in their paper that the past connection between individual Balkanatolian islands and the existence of this southern dispersal route remain debated, and that the story pieced together thus far is only built on mammal fossils.
Many of the geological changes that gave rise to Balkanatolia have yet to be fully understood, and it is important to note that this review is just one team's interpretation of the fossil record.
The fossil record of mammals and other animals living on islands is usually sparse and patchy, whereas the rich fossil record of Balkanatolia provides a unique opportunity to document the evolution and demise of island biotas in deep time.
The study was published.
All Rights Reserved © 2024
