Jurassic mammal fossil offers early evidence of chewing and suckling

A roughly 165-million-year-old Megacauda sungei fossil preserves rare throat and mouth structures consistent with chewing, swallowing and suckling, NPR reports on research in Nature. Its swimming adaptations and sharp teeth suggest a semi-aquatic predator. Researchers reconstruct these abilities from preserved anatomy; the finding extends evidence of mammalian feeding traits into the middle Jurassic.