There s a longstanding debate simmering among biologists who study porcupines. There are 16 porcupine species in Central and South America, but only one in the United States and Canada. DNA evidence suggests North America s sole porcupine belongs to a group that originated 10 million years ago, but fossils seem to tell a different story. Some paleontologists think they may have evolved just 2.5 million years ago, at the beginning of the ice ages.
An exceptionally rare fossilized porcupine skeleton discovered in Florida has allowed researchers to trace the evolutionary history for one of North America s rarest mammals.
The price of plenty: Florida s hidden backbone wlrn.org - get the latest breaking news, showbiz & celebrity photos, sport news & rumours, viral videos and top stories from wlrn.org Daily Mail and Mail on Sunday newspapers.
Unique Gomphothere Assemblage Found in Florida sci.news - get the latest breaking news, showbiz & celebrity photos, sport news & rumours, viral videos and top stories from sci.news Daily Mail and Mail on Sunday newspapers.