Killer Bite: Ancient, tiny mammal probably used venom
By Sid Perkins
Recently excavated fossils of a mammal species originally described decades ago suggest that the mouse-size creature had a venomous bite, a trait previously unreported in ancient mammals.
Paleontologists first unearthed remains of Bisonalveus browni in Wyoming more than 50 years ago. However, those fossils included only a few rear teeth and fragments of skulls and lower jaws, says Richard C. Fox, a paleontologist at the University of Alberta in Edmonton. The newer fossils that Fox and his university colleague Craig S. Scott discovered in 60-million-year-old rocks at two sites in central Alberta include several creatures’ snouts. Most notably, these fragments feature a long, pointed canine tooth that has the shape of known venom-delivery structures.