What can fossils tell us about growing up?

Panciroli, Elsa

What can fossils tell us about growing up?

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dinosaur-growth_article.pdf

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Journal article

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Panciroli, Elsa

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Date published

March 2025

Abstract

Did you know that some animals like crocodiles and sharks keep growing larger as they get older? Mammals are not like that. We only grow during the first part of our lives. We were curious about how this trait evolved, so we used X-rays and 3D imaging to look at two small mammal-like fossils from the Jurassic. The fossils were from a juvenile and an adult. We found they grew more slowly than mammals do today. This helps us better understand the evolution of mammals.