Diversity of life
Mammals and dinosaurs evolved at about the same time. But while the dinos soon produced gigantic forms and dominated the earth's surface for 135 million years, the mammals remained inconspicuous for a long time as insectivores and small animal hunters and were mainly nocturnal. About ten million years after the disappearance of the dinosaurs, however, mammals evolved with many new forms during the Eocene. Horses, bats, primates, pangolins emerged among them. We show the diversity of the animal world at that time and discover the similarities as well as differences to today's fauna.
Bildergalerie
Photo: UHH, RRZ/MCC, Mentz
Crocodiles were the top predators in Messel Lake. The genus Diplocynodon belongs more precisely to the alligators, not to the true crocodiles, and was very common in Messel.
Photo: UHH / CeNak
Eopelobates wagneri - very many (about 200) specimens of this frog were found in Messel. The species was land-dwelling, today its relatives occur in Europe, such as the spadefoot toad.
Photo: UHH / CeNak
The colors of this jewel beetle are preserved in the fossil state because they are not formed by pigments, but by a special structure of the surface.
Photo: UHH, RRZ/MCC, Mentz
This is a cast of fossils of one of the most complete primates ever found (a lemur), also for the first time remains of its meal could be studied.
Photo: UHH, RRZ/MCC, Mentz
Messel is with 63 finds of different species probably the most important fossil site for horses worldwide. These fossils provide a great deal of information about the beginnings of horse evolution.