Morganucodon, Eve of Mammalian Milk

Religion is thought to have begun as ancestor worship. Today I present the ancestor Goddess Morganucodon, who lived roughly 205 million years ago. She is the Eve of Mammalian milk.

Morganucodon, Eve of Mammalian Milk. 205 million years ago, in her burrow. Inspired by the new book, Eve: How the Female Body Drove 200 Million Years of Human Evolution, by Cat Bohannon. Original painting available via Saatchi Art. Prints, stickers, and other merch available through RedBubble or Fine Art America.

Morganucodon's fossils were initially found in Wales, but since have been found as far afield as China. She was a widely spread, highly successful creature, about the size and shape of a mouse. She is the most well known species of early mammal, one of the first to evolve lactation. She could hunt for beetles alone at night, under cover of darkness and return to her burrow in the morning, full of nutrition to share with her babies. She did not have nipples, the milk oozed from glands on her belly. Her early mammalian fur helped her babies suck up the life giving moisture. It is thought that the milk glands evolved from mucus glands used to keep her leathery eggs moist until they hatched.

Remains of vegetation from early conifers, related to today's juniper and cypress trees were found with her fossils. Her cozy burrow helped her and her babies stay safe beneath the forest floor, hidden from dinosaurs like the carnivorous procompsognathus who prowls above.

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