Antarctica's First Mammal Predator Footprint Reshapes Eocene Ecology

A partial manus-pes footprint from King George Island’s Fossil Hill Formation dates to about 55 million years ago (the Eocene) and represents the first mammal track found in Antarctica, likely from a small sparassodont-sized predator. The find suggests land mammals occupied Antarctic forests after the dinosaur extinction and points to a more complex early Antarctic ecosystem with connections to South American predators via ancient land bridges.