Updated: The teeth were studied and compared with previously reported cynodonts Share Article AAA Lively ancestor: Artist's impression of a cynodont, a group that ultimately gave rise to the present-day mammals. | Photo Credit: Julio Lacerda The teeth were studied and compared with previously reported cynodonts The Tiki Formation in Madhya Pradesh, a treasure trove of vertebrate fossils, has now yielded a new species and two genera of cynodonts, small rat-like animals that lived about 220 million years ago. The researchers from the Indian Institute of Technology Kharagpur, used scanning electron microscopy to study about 10 teeth samples collected from the village of Tihki in Shahdol District, Madhya Pradesh.