New analysis fossils suggests that our ancestors briefly coexisted with them dinosaurs just before they disappear, according to a new study.

There is disagreement among researchers about when placental mammals – the group that includes humans, dogs and bats.

Some believe they co-existed with dinosaurs before one hit Earth asteroidcausing their destruction, while others claim that their evolution was only postponed after the extinction of the dinosaurs.

Now, an in-depth analysis of the fossil record provides the answer that our ancestors coexisted with dinosaurs for a short time before becoming extinct.

So far, placental mammal fossils have only been found in rocks less than 66 million years old, when the asteroid hit the Earth. This event wiped out all dinosaurs except for birds and other smaller animals such as lizards and frogs.

In new research published in the journal Current Biology, a team of paleobiologists used statistical analysis of fossils to determine that placental mammals predated the mass extinction, meaning they coexisted with dinosaurs for a short time.

According to the research, the evolution of primates, lagomorphs and carnivores is placed in time just before the mass extinction. After surviving the asteroid impact, placental mammals rapidly diversified.

Lead author Emily Carlisle of Bristol’s School of Earth Sciences he said: ‘We brought together thousands of placental mammal fossils and were able to see the patterns of origin and extinction of the different groups.