A team of Portuguese, Brazilian, and Belgian researchers has recently described a new species of mammal from the Late Jurassic (~145 million years ago), discovered in western Portugal. The new species, named Cambelodon torreensis, was identified from a fossil found near the village of Cambelas, in the municipality of Torres Vedras.

The genus name, Cambelodon, means “tooth of Cambelas”, referencing the location where the specimen was unearthed. The species name, torreensis, honors the people of Torres Vedras.

This significant finding stems from research carried out as part of Víctor Carvalho’s Master’s thesis in Paleontology at the NOVA School of Science and Technology (NOVA FCT). The research was supervised by Professor Lígia Castro (NOVA FCT) and Bruno Camilo, MSc (researcher at Ci2Paleo – Center for Paleobiology and Paleoecology of the Natural History Society of Torres Vedras, and PhD student in Georesources at Instituto Superior Técnico). The team also included researcher Ricardo Araújo, from CERENA – Instituto Superior Técnico.

The specimen studied is a juvenile, which allowed researchers to investigate the sequence of tooth replacement from deciduous (baby) teeth to permanent ones, as well as the chewing mechanics of this ancient mammal. The findings contribute valuable insights into the diversity and evolutionary history of multituberculates, an extinct group of small mammals that lived alongside dinosaurs and were among the earliest known herbivorous mammals.

This discovery highlights the richness of Portugal’s paleontological heritage and the important role national research centers play in deepening our understanding of Earth’s history.