Abstract
Endothermy underpins the ecological dominance of mammals and birds in diverse environmental settings. However, it is unclear when this crucial feature emerged during mammalian evolutionary history, as most of the fossil evidence is ambiguous. Here we show that this key evolutionary transition can be investigated using the morphology of the endolymph-filled semicircular ducts of the inner ear, which monitor head rotations and are essential for motor coordination, navigation and spatial awareness. Increased body temperatures during the ectotherm–endotherm transition of mammal ancestors would decrease endolymph viscosity, negatively affecting semicircular duct biomechanics, while simultaneously increasing behavioural activity probably required improved performance. Morphological changes to the membranous ducts and enclosing bony canals would have been necessary to maintain optimal functionality during this transition. To track these morphofunctional changes in 56 extinct synapsid species, we developed the thermo-motility index, a proxy based on bony canal morphology. The results suggest that endothermy evolved abruptly during the Late Triassic period in Mammaliamorpha, correlated with a sharp increase in body temperature (5–9 °C) and an expansion of aerobic and anaerobic capacities. Contrary to previous suggestions, all stem mammaliamorphs were most probably ectotherms. Endothermy, as a crucial physiological characteristic, joins other distinctive mammalian features that arose during this period of climatic instability.