Ancient carnivorous mammal discovered in Belgium

The fossil remains of one of the earliest ancestors of modern carnivorous animals have been found in Dormaal, east of Brussels.

The tiny species, Dormaalocyon latouri, weighed only one kilogram and lived in the trees. Although a distant descendent of larger carnivores, such as lions and tigers, and even the common housecat, this animal did not pose much of a violent threat as it survived off of insects and smaller mammals.

The creature most likely roamed the earth during the Eocene period, which occurred between 56 and 33.9 million years ago, and most closely resembled a tiny panther mixed with a squirrel, with a long tail.

Scientists first came across the Dormaal site in the 1880s, discovering more than two-dozen species since, including 14,000 teeth.

Specialists from the Royal Belgian Institute of Natural Sciences in Brussels will continue to investigate the animals geographic origins, believed to have begun in Asia.