<p>In a thrilling discovery, paleontologists have unearthed the earliest ancestor of land-dwelling plant eaters: </p>.<p>The striking point is that these tiny animals were once meat lovers who evolved into herbivores.<br /><br />"The evolution of herbivory was revolutionary to life on land because it meant terrestrial vertebrates could directly access the vast resources provided by terrestrial plants," Robert Reisz, a professor from University of Toronto Mississauga, was quoted as saying.<br /><br />These herbivores, in turn, became a major food resource for large land predators, he added.<br /><br />The vegetarian ancestor has been named Eocasea martinis. Eocasea is one of the oldest relatives of modern mammals.<br /><br />The scientists found its 6.5 inches long skeleton that belonged to a juvenile who lived in what is now Kansas 300 million years ago.<br /><br />That is about 80 million years before the dinosaur age.</p>.<p>The researchers think the prehistoric animal feasted on insects and other small animals.</p>.<p>According to Reisz, "Eocasea is the first animal to start the process that has resulted in a terrestrial ecosystem with many plant eaters supporting fewer and fewer top predators".<br /></p>
<p>In a thrilling discovery, paleontologists have unearthed the earliest ancestor of land-dwelling plant eaters: </p>.<p>The striking point is that these tiny animals were once meat lovers who evolved into herbivores.<br /><br />"The evolution of herbivory was revolutionary to life on land because it meant terrestrial vertebrates could directly access the vast resources provided by terrestrial plants," Robert Reisz, a professor from University of Toronto Mississauga, was quoted as saying.<br /><br />These herbivores, in turn, became a major food resource for large land predators, he added.<br /><br />The vegetarian ancestor has been named Eocasea martinis. Eocasea is one of the oldest relatives of modern mammals.<br /><br />The scientists found its 6.5 inches long skeleton that belonged to a juvenile who lived in what is now Kansas 300 million years ago.<br /><br />That is about 80 million years before the dinosaur age.</p>.<p>The researchers think the prehistoric animal feasted on insects and other small animals.</p>.<p>According to Reisz, "Eocasea is the first animal to start the process that has resulted in a terrestrial ecosystem with many plant eaters supporting fewer and fewer top predators".<br /></p>