Overview
- Researchers report three newly named multituberculate mammals in a Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences study based on fossil teeth from Alaska’s Prince Creek Formation.
- Camurodon borealis, Qayaqgruk peregrinus, and Kaniqsiqcosmodon polaris lived about 73 million years ago in the Arctic Circle, where winters brought months of darkness and scarce food.
- Tooth shapes point to niche-splitting diets, with C. borealis likely herbivorous, Q. peregrinus an insect‑eating omnivore, and K. polaris an omnivore that leaned toward plants.
- Phylogenetic analysis links Q. peregrinus to a Mongolian species, leading the authors to infer an Asia‑to‑North America dispersal around 92 million years ago across a Bering land route.
- The discoveries add evidence that polar regions hosted unique, cold‑adapted mammal communities, and they highlight how long‑lasting multituberculates survived major shocks, including the dinosaur‑killing asteroid.