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Scientists find 74-million-year-old tiny mammal fossil in Chile
It is the smallest mammal ever found in this region of South America
Author of the article:AFP
AFP
Published Aug 12, 2025 • 1 minute read
This illustration by Mauricio Alvarez depicts 'Yeutherium pressor,' a tiny mammal that lived in the time of the dinosaurs in what is now southern Chile.
This illustration by Mauricio Alvarez depicts 'Yeutherium pressor,' a tiny mammal that lived in the time of the dinosaurs in what is now southern Chile. Photo by - /Universidad de Chile/AFP
SANTIAGO — Scientists have discovered the fossil of a tiny mouse-sized mammal that lived in the time of the dinosaurs in Chilean Patagonia.
“Yeutherium pressor” weighed between 30 and 40 grams (about one ounce) and lived in the Upper Cretaceous period, about 74 million years ago.
It is the smallest mammal ever found in this region of South America, dating back to the era when it was part of a continental land mass known as Gondwana.
The fossil consists of “a small piece of jaw with a molar and the crown and roots of two other molars,” said Hans Puschel, who led the team of scientists from the University of Chile and Chile’s Millennium Nucleus research center on early mammals.
The discovery was published this month in the British scientific journal Proceedings of the Royal Society B.
The fossil was discovered in the Rio de Las Chinas Valley in the Magallanes region of ChileHans Püschel/Universidad de Chile/AFP
Researchers found the fossil in the Rio de las Las Chinas Valley in Chile’s Magallanes region, about 3,000 kilometers (1,864 miles) south of Santiago.
Despites its similarity to a small rodent, “Yeutherium pressor” was a mammal that must have laid eggs, like the platypus, or carried its young in a pouch like kangaroos or opossums.
The shape of its teeth suggests that it probably had a diet of relatively hard vegetables.
Just like the dinosaurs with whom it co-existed, the tiny mammal abruptly went extinct at the end of the Cretaceous period, about 66 million years ago.
torontosun.com
It is the smallest mammal ever found in this region of South America
Author of the article:AFP
AFP
Published Aug 12, 2025 • 1 minute read
This illustration by Mauricio Alvarez depicts 'Yeutherium pressor,' a tiny mammal that lived in the time of the dinosaurs in what is now southern Chile.
This illustration by Mauricio Alvarez depicts 'Yeutherium pressor,' a tiny mammal that lived in the time of the dinosaurs in what is now southern Chile. Photo by - /Universidad de Chile/AFP
SANTIAGO — Scientists have discovered the fossil of a tiny mouse-sized mammal that lived in the time of the dinosaurs in Chilean Patagonia.
“Yeutherium pressor” weighed between 30 and 40 grams (about one ounce) and lived in the Upper Cretaceous period, about 74 million years ago.
It is the smallest mammal ever found in this region of South America, dating back to the era when it was part of a continental land mass known as Gondwana.
The fossil consists of “a small piece of jaw with a molar and the crown and roots of two other molars,” said Hans Puschel, who led the team of scientists from the University of Chile and Chile’s Millennium Nucleus research center on early mammals.
The discovery was published this month in the British scientific journal Proceedings of the Royal Society B.
The fossil was discovered in the Rio de Las Chinas Valley in the Magallanes region of ChileHans Püschel/Universidad de Chile/AFP
Researchers found the fossil in the Rio de las Las Chinas Valley in Chile’s Magallanes region, about 3,000 kilometers (1,864 miles) south of Santiago.
Despites its similarity to a small rodent, “Yeutherium pressor” was a mammal that must have laid eggs, like the platypus, or carried its young in a pouch like kangaroos or opossums.
The shape of its teeth suggests that it probably had a diet of relatively hard vegetables.
Just like the dinosaurs with whom it co-existed, the tiny mammal abruptly went extinct at the end of the Cretaceous period, about 66 million years ago.
Scientists find 74-million-year-old tiny mammal fossil in Chile
Scientists have discovered the fossil of a tiny mouse-sized mammal that lived in the time of the dinosaurs in Chilean Patagonia.
Woman discovers 2.3-carat ‘diamond-y diamond’ in Arkansas park
Author of the article
enette Wilford
Published Aug 12, 2025 • Last updated 13 hours ago • 2 minute read
Micherre Fox, who spent three weeks hunting for the perfect diamond to use for her own engagement ring at Crater of Diamonds State Park in Arkansas.
Micherre Fox, who spent three weeks hunting for the perfect diamond to use for her own engagement ring at Crater of Diamonds State Park in Arkansas. Photo by Supplied /Arkansas State Parks
A determined woman on the hunt for diamonds at an Arkansas state park hit the jackpot on her last day there.
Micherre Fox, 31, spent weeks at Crater of Diamonds State Park in Pike County last month, with the aim of finding the perfect rock for her future engagement ring, Arkansas State Parks (ASP) said in a press release.
While Fox wasn’t engaged at the time, her partner agreed to hold off proposing, knowing she wanted to uncover her own diamond — something she began researching about two years ago, according to ASP.
Fox prepared for two weeks before beginning her hunt on July 8 during a month-long break after finishing graduate school.
“I was willing to go anywhere in the world to make that happen,” Fox said.
“I researched, and it turned out that the only place in the world to do it was right in our backyard, in Arkansas!”
Crater of Diamonds is one of the only diamond-producing sites in the world where the public can search for diamonds in their original volcanic source, the website notes.
Their policy is as straightforward as it gets: “‘Finders, keepers,’ meaning the diamonds you find are yours to keep.”
Diamond sitting in Fox’s hand, left, and closeup of diamond. (Supplied/Arkansas State Parks)
Diamond sitting in Fox’s hand, left, and closeup of diamond. (Supplied/Arkansas State Parks) Photo by Supplied /Arkansas State Parks
Fox explained about her decision: “There’s something symbolic about being able to solve problems with money, but sometimes money runs out in a marriage. You need to be willing and able to solve those problems with hard work.”
Fox spent a total of three weeks at the park but it was on July 29, her last day there, that she encountered something shiny at her feet while walking along the West Drain, part of the 37.5-acre diamond search area.
The woman nudged it with her boot, thinking it was a spider web, but the shine remained — so she picked it up.
“Having never seen an actual diamond in my hands, I didn’t know for sure, but it was the most ‘diamond-y diamond’ I had seen,” she recalled.
The park’s Diamond Discover Center confirmed it was a white diamond about the size of a human canine tooth.
“I got on my knees and cried, then started laughing,” Fox said, noting that she got to name the gem, calling it the Fox-Ballou Diamond after her and her partner’s surnames.
“After all the research, there’s luck and there’s hard work,” she said.
“When you are literally picking up the dirt in your hands, no amount of research can do that for you; no amount of education can take you all the way,” Fox added. “It was daunting.”
So far this year, 366 diamonds have been registered at Crater of Diamonds, with 11 weighing more than one carat, according to the park.
The 2.3-carat stone Fox found marks the third-largest found in the park this year.
![diamond-x-2-e1755027573156[1].jpg](https://forums.canadiancontent.net/data/attachments/28/28810-efa32b3c999ae7c634d50baea686ba01.jpg "diamond-x-2-e1755027573156[1].jpg")
arkansasstateparks.com
torontosun.com
Author of the article
enette WilfordPublished Aug 12, 2025 • Last updated 13 hours ago • 2 minute read
Micherre Fox, who spent three weeks hunting for the perfect diamond to use for her own engagement ring at Crater of Diamonds State Park in Arkansas.
Micherre Fox, who spent three weeks hunting for the perfect diamond to use for her own engagement ring at Crater of Diamonds State Park in Arkansas. Photo by Supplied /Arkansas State Parks
A determined woman on the hunt for diamonds at an Arkansas state park hit the jackpot on her last day there.
Micherre Fox, 31, spent weeks at Crater of Diamonds State Park in Pike County last month, with the aim of finding the perfect rock for her future engagement ring, Arkansas State Parks (ASP) said in a press release.
While Fox wasn’t engaged at the time, her partner agreed to hold off proposing, knowing she wanted to uncover her own diamond — something she began researching about two years ago, according to ASP.
Fox prepared for two weeks before beginning her hunt on July 8 during a month-long break after finishing graduate school.
“I was willing to go anywhere in the world to make that happen,” Fox said.
“I researched, and it turned out that the only place in the world to do it was right in our backyard, in Arkansas!”
Crater of Diamonds is one of the only diamond-producing sites in the world where the public can search for diamonds in their original volcanic source, the website notes.
Their policy is as straightforward as it gets: “‘Finders, keepers,’ meaning the diamonds you find are yours to keep.”
Diamond sitting in Fox’s hand, left, and closeup of diamond. (Supplied/Arkansas State Parks)
Diamond sitting in Fox’s hand, left, and closeup of diamond. (Supplied/Arkansas State Parks) Photo by Supplied /Arkansas State Parks
Fox explained about her decision: “There’s something symbolic about being able to solve problems with money, but sometimes money runs out in a marriage. You need to be willing and able to solve those problems with hard work.”
Fox spent a total of three weeks at the park but it was on July 29, her last day there, that she encountered something shiny at her feet while walking along the West Drain, part of the 37.5-acre diamond search area.
The woman nudged it with her boot, thinking it was a spider web, but the shine remained — so she picked it up.
“Having never seen an actual diamond in my hands, I didn’t know for sure, but it was the most ‘diamond-y diamond’ I had seen,” she recalled.
The park’s Diamond Discover Center confirmed it was a white diamond about the size of a human canine tooth.
“I got on my knees and cried, then started laughing,” Fox said, noting that she got to name the gem, calling it the Fox-Ballou Diamond after her and her partner’s surnames.
“After all the research, there’s luck and there’s hard work,” she said.
“When you are literally picking up the dirt in your hands, no amount of research can do that for you; no amount of education can take you all the way,” Fox added. “It was daunting.”
So far this year, 366 diamonds have been registered at Crater of Diamonds, with 11 weighing more than one carat, according to the park.
The 2.3-carat stone Fox found marks the third-largest found in the park this year.
Digging for Diamonds | Arkansas State Parks
Where can diamonds be found? The answer might surprise you. Arkansas’s Crater of Diamonds State Park is one of the only diamond-producing site in the world where the public can search for diamonds in their original volcanic source. The policy here is "finders, keepers," meaning the diamonds you...
‘FINDERS, KEEPERS’: Woman discovers 2.3-carat ‘diamond-y diamond’ in Arkansas park
A determined woman on the hunt for diamonds at an Arkansas state park hit the jackpot on her last day there.