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Eve of the Apocalypse, Protungulatum donnae

 Protungulatum donnae is the Eve of placental mammals.  The first mammal to give birth to live young.  She is "the lovely lady squirrel from whence all extant, placenta-having, non-marsupial mammals evolved." Our great-grand rat.  A very early ancestor Goddess.  She appears in the fossil record right about the time of the giant asteroid impact apocalypse and following apocalyptic winter that wiped out the dinosaurs.  She ate beetles and didn't have to worry about keeping her eggs warm.  She was small, about squirrel sized.  The mutations that led to live birth apparently gave her a post apocalyptic advantage, as her DNA lives on.    

Eve of the Apocalypse. Protungulatum donnae, in her burrow, resting after live birth. (Not to scale).  Original painting by Echoing Multiverse available via Saatchi Art.  Stickers and other merch available via RedBubble or Fine Art America.  Inspired by Eve: How the Female Body Drove 200 Million Years of Human Evolution, by Cat Bohannon.

AI generated image of the asteroid impact that created the Chicxulub crater, annihilated the dinosaurs, and created a 15 year winter.  Source.



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