Scientists have observed fossils of small mammals such as squirrels called the new-type treeshrew and species from Ramnagar in Jammu and Kashmir. This tree species currently represents the oldest record of mineral tupaiids in Siwalik, increasing its time range by 2.5-4.0 million years in the region and could help provide a more accurate estimate of the age of Ramnagar in the Udhampur area (UT-Jammu & Kashmir).
The Siwalik fossils record the emergence of numerous groups of mammals from the middle of the Miocene to the Pleistocene that include treeshrews, hedgehogs, and other small mammals. Treeshrews, in particular, are the rarest fossil records, with only a few species known throughout the Cenozoic period. Scientists from the Wadia Institute of Himalayan Geology (WIHG), an independent institute of the Department of Science and Technology (DST) of tree trunks (known as Sivatupaiaram nagarensis n. gen. n. sp) from the middle of the Miocene (extending from about 23.03 million to 5.333 years ago) the Ramnagar site at Jammu and Kashmir.
Dietary analysis suggests that new tupaiid may be converted to a less challenging or more challenging dietary diet compared to other existing tupaiids and residues. Additionally, the new hedgehog and rodent specimens are described in the same fossil area. Murine mice are very important, because the different types and characteristics of teeth are better known as time sensitivity, as has been documented throughout the ongoing Siwalik, time-controlled system on the Potwar Plateau of Pakistan. Therefore, the identification of these dental features and the temporal types in the current collection helps to provide a more accurate estimate of the age of the Ramnagar area between 12.7-11.6 Million Years.
This work was done by Drs. Ramesh Kumar Sehgal (lead author), Drs. Ningthoujam Premjit Singh (corresponding author) and Mr. Abhishek Pratap Singh from Wadia Institute of Himalayan Geology, Dehradun, India in collaboration with Panjab University Chandigarh (Dr. Rajeev Patnaik); Hunter College of the City University of New York, USA (Dr. Christopher C. Gilbert); University of Southern California, Los Angeles (Dr. Biren A. Patel); Arizona State University, USA (Dr. Christopher J. Campisano); American Museum of Natural History, USA (Dr. Keegan R. Selig). Recently published in the Journal of Paleontology. The examples just described are stored in the Wadia Institute archive.
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