Scientists find continent Balkanatolia that may explain evolution of mammals

[TexasTowelie]

Map showing Balkanatolia 40 million years ago and at the present day. Courtesy of Alexis Licht & Grégoire Métais/CNRS


Feb. 22 (UPI) -- Scientists have discovered a lost continent they call Balknatolia wedged between Europe, Africa and Asia that allowed mammals from Asia to colonize Europe earlier than once thought.

Their findings have been published in the March 2022 volume of Earth Science Reviews.

"We know that, around 34 million years ago, Western Europe was colonized by Asian species, leading to a major renewal of vertebrate fauna and extinction of its endemic mammals, a sudden event called the 'Grand Coupure,'" the French, American and Turkish researchers at CRNS who led the study said in a statement. "Surprisingly, fossils found in the Balkans point to the presence of Asian mammals in southern Europe long before the Grande Coupure, suggesting earlier colonization."

Prior to the Grand Coupure, Western Europe and Eastern Asia had separate animal life for millions of years, the statement noted. European forests had Palaeotheres, extinct animals related to present-day horses, and Asia was populated by diverse mammal families that are now found on both continents.

Read more: https://www.upi.com/Science_News/2022/02/22/europe-balkans-balknatolia-forgotten-continent/6921645552066/