In Depth Zalambdalestes has been interpreted as a Eutherian mammal, though it has also been considered to have been an early placental mammal. Zalambdalestes would have been similar to shrews today, hunting for insects while trying to avoid predatory dinosaurs such as the dromaeosaurid Mahakala and the troodont Byronosaurus. Further Reading - Cretaceous mammal skulls … Read more
In Depth Propyrotherium was a genus of pyrotheriid mammal that lived in South America during the Eocene. Propyrotherium was so named because of its similarity to and earlier occurrence to the genus Pyrotherium. Further Reading - Notices pr�liminaires sur des ongul�s nouveaux des terrains cr�tac�s de Patagonie [Preliminary notes on new ungulates from the Cretaceous … Read more
In Depth Notoetayoa is a genus of xenungulatan mammal that lived in South America during the Palaeocene. Further Reading - A new Xenungulata (Mammalia) from the Paleocene of Patagonia Argentina. - Journal of Paleontology 82(2):329-335. - J. N. Gelfo, G. M. L�pez & M. Bond - 2008.
In Depth A large relative of the more famous Hyaenodon, Megistotherium was clearly one of the main predators of its day. The skull of Megistotherium alone measured up to sixty-six centimetres long, almost as long as the average person’s arm and hand. It is likely that Megistotherium also scavenged carcasses, though in what ratio Megistotherium … Read more
In Depth Elasmotherium is one of the a typical animals that represents Pleistocene era fauna, though there has been a lot of debate over not only how it lived but what it really looked like One problematic area concerning the study of Elasmotherium is the actual morphology of the genus. Some reconstructions consider Elasmotherium to … Read more
In Depth Afrodon was a small eutherian mammal that seems to have been spread at least across Western Europe to the Western tip of North Africa. Add into account the broad temporal range of this mammal, and it seems that Afrodon was a very successful little mammal. Further Reading - Afrodon chleuhi nov. gen., nov. … Read more
In Depth Although so far known from only a single partial skull, Acristatherium is thought to represent one of the oldest known eutherian mammals. Acristatherium probably spent most of the time hunting for invertebrate prey which could easily be caught and processed by the small but sharp teeth, while trying to stay out of sight … Read more
In Depth The significant thing about the discovery of Juramaia is that here you have a placental mammal appearing thirty-five million years earlier than the previously known contender Eomaia, a primitive mammal described in 2002 that was also discovered in Liaoning Province. This has helped researchers who are slowly piecing together a more complete picture … Read more
In Depth Palaeomastodon is widely regarded as being one of the ancestors to modern day elephants. Remains of Palaeomastodon are usually just of skull and mandible fossils, but already the presence of two tusks in the upper jaw and attachment for a trunk can be clearly seen. Unfortunately no one knows exactly how long the … Read more