![An artist's illustration of the tree-dwelling mammal Xianshou songae (by Zhao Chuang). The discovery of three new Jurassic species suggests that mammals evolved earlier and diversified more rapidly thank previously thought.](https://sotp.nyc3.cdn.digitaloceanspaces.com/wp-content/uploads/2014/09/Xianshou-300x225.jpg)
With body spry, tail curly,
This mammal showed up early.
Did Xianshou squeak?
If bones could speak …
These might say “I’m squirrely!”
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Further reading:
Chisel-toothed beasts push back origin of mammals, National Geographic
Three new Jurassic euharamiyidan species reinforce early divergence of mammals, Nature
This is one in a series of poems written by Katherine Allen, a researcher in geochemistry and paleoclimate at the Lamont-Doherty Earth Observatory and the Institute of Marine and Coastal Sciences at Rutgers University.