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Thousands of fossils have recently been found in Colorado Springs, and they provide information regarding mammal growth following the KT mass extinction. 65 million years ago, a meteorite crashed into the Yucatan peninsula, killing more than 3 quarters of life on Earth.
The Corral Bluffs are "a known hotbed of the KT boundary." Tyler Lyson, a paleontologist for the Museum of Nature and Science, along with Ian Miller, an expert on prehistoric vegetation, were roaming the area in 2016 when Lyson decided to crack concretions instead of scanning for bone bits. He immediately found the cross section of a mammal skull. And thus began their dig.
Their study reports on numerous fossils representing 16 animal species and more than 6,000 plant fossils, including pollen grains. One of the cranium bones found belong to a newly discovered species, Loxolophus.
The trend in fossils shows a rapid recovery from the time of the extinction to the rise of the mammals. The plants supported this growth, as with the appearance of the legume plant, which provides high protein.
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