New prehistoric ‘Hobbit’ creature is among three new discoveries

Left to right, Conacodon hettingeri, Miniconus jeanninae, Beornus honeyi (Banana Art Studio/PA)

A prehistoric creature, named after The Hobbit character Beorn, is one of three new discoveries that suggest the rapid evolution of mammals after dinosaur extinction.

These prehistoric mammals roamed North America during the earliest Paleocene Epoch, the period immediately after the extinction of dinosaurs.