Nearly 70 distinct tracks were recovered in the Catoca mine in Angola. All the tracks were found in a small sedimentary basin, formed about 118 million years ago, during the Early Cretaceous, in the crater of a kimberlite pipe, researchers said.
The mammal tracks show a mysterious raccoon-sized animal, during a time when most were no larger than a rat.
There is no evidence from bones or teeth of such a large Early Cretaceous mammal from Africa or elsewhere in the world, researchers said.
Another trackway was attributed to a crocodilomorph trackmaker, a group that includes all modern crocodiles and extinct relatives, and has a unique laterally rotated handprint.
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