Remains of a mouse that walked with dinosaurs discovered on Isle of Skye
Scientists have discovered a new mammal species - a small mouse which roamed the Isle of Skye alongside dinosaurs 166 million years ago.
X-ray scanning of specimens from the Isle of Skye, including two complete skulls of small mouse-like mammals, revealed the new species to scientists.
Named after the cu ill in mountain range on Skye, the cuillinensis, had along snout and was covered in fur.
Dating back to the Middle Jurassic period, the mouse-like animal ate insects and lived on the margins of the freshwater lagoons that covered Skye at the time.
The mammal's skull was discovered on the island in 2018.
At first boffins thought it was the same as thebo realest es sere ndi pit us species-which was discovered there in in 1972.
But CT scans revealed the mammal was in fact a new species based on the shape of the upper teeth.
Dr Elsa Panciroli, associate researcher at National Museums Scotland and research fellow at the Oxford University Museum of Natural History, said "These two skulls may be tiny in size, but their significance is huge.
"They belong to the most complete early mammal skeletons described so far from the UK, and they offer a unique insight into the early development of mammal life. They weren't found at the same time.
"The first was found back in 1972, and was named Borealestes serendipitus.
"Borealestes was the first mammal from the time of dinosaurs ever found in Scotland. We found the second fossil in 2018 on Skye.
"We thought it was the same species, but realised it was a new one after CT scanning it, based on the shape of the upper teeth. The ridges on the teeth reminded us of the peaks of the Cuillin mountain range on skye, nearby where the fossil was found, so we named it after them, bore al est es cu ill in en sis ."
The specimens were discovered 46 years apart, but both were found on the Strathaird peninsula on the Isle of Skye.
Numerous other fossils have been found there, including amphibians and dinosaurs which would have lived alongside Borealestes.
The ct and synchrotron scanning techniques used in the research have enabled production of a 3D digital reconstruction of what the skulls would have looked like when intact.
Dr Nick Fraser, Keeper of Natural science sat national museums Scotland and co-author of the study, said: "When we think of the Jurassic period, most of us will automatically think of dinosaurs, and that's probably especially true of Skye, where there have been some terrific dinosaur finds.
"However, the development of mammal life, including ourselves, goes back to this time with lots of new groups and lineages emerging.
"Aside from describing a new species, which is always exciting, this is an important piece of research because Jurassic mammals are frequently only known by their teeth and isolated fragments. This paper is really significant because it skull material which is really rare.
The specimens are part of the collections of National Museums Scotland, and are described in a new paper published in The Zoological Journal of the Linnean Society.