During Everything Dinosaur’s recent visit to the gardens of the London Natural History Museum, a very small statue was spotted. Hiding behind the huge Diplodocus was a life-size replica of Megazostrodon rudnerae, a tiny but hugely important early mammaliaform.

The tiny, life-size Megazostrodon rudnerae statue on display in the gardens of the London Natural History Museum. Picture credit: Everything Dinosaur.

Picture credit: Everything Dinosaur

Megazostrodon rudnerae

At first glance, the gold-coloured statue is easy to miss. However, that is rather fitting. Megazostrodon rudnerae was shrew-sized and probably nocturnal.  It lived millions of years before its giant garden neighbour Diplodocus evolved.  Fossils are known from strata laid down approximately 200 million years ago.  It is a mammaliaform from the Early Jurassic.  Whilst dinosaurs and other reptiles dominated terrestrial environments, mammaliaforms such as Megazostrodon scuttled in the shadows.

The nearby plaque provides helpful information. Furthermore, it explains that despite possessing fur and many mammal-like characteristics, such as endothermy, this little creature probably laid eggs like monotremes.

The Megazostrodon plaque on display at the London Natural History Museum gardens. Picture credit: Everything Dinosaur.

Picture credit: Everything Dinosaur

Two species are recognised.  In 1968, M. rudnerae was described from fossil remains found in Lesotho and South Africa. Then, in 2015 a second species (M. chenali) from Upper Triassic rocks in France was described.  These fossils provide a perspective on early mammal evolution. Furthermore, fossil evidence shows that Megazostrodon rudnerae had differentiated teeth. This feature allowed more efficient feeding. As a result, it represents a key step towards true mammals. Significantly, the structure of the jaw and ear bones hints at advanced hearing.

Therefore, this modest garden statue tells a powerful evolutionary story. It reminds visitors that mammal origins were humble. It also shows that success does not always come from size or strength.

The award-winning Everything Dinosaur website: Prehistoric Animal Models.