NEW YORK (Reuters Health) - Mammal behavior has changed rapidly throughout the ages, after the end of the dinosaur era, according to a new study, reported in the journal Science.
The dinosaurs' extinction was the "good news" for mammals, which increased dramatically during that period, the study said.
"When the dinosaurs became extinct, many animals went out of the dark," she said.
How so?
Fossil scientists have long believed that early mammals were nighttime (active at night to protect themselves from day-to-day animals), but this changed as dinosaurs declined.
Experts say most mammals have eyes that work well in dim light and have very sophisticated senses that make them feel around them, even in the dark.
After the end of the dinosaur era, the researchers, who studied data from more than 2,415 mammalian species, found evidence that these animals began to favor only daylight hours.
The researchers said that mammalian satisfaction with day-to-day life may help explain its global spread.
