In Depth Though only known from a partial skull and jaws, Saghacetus is known to have been a dorudontine whale that was hunting in the waters of Egypt during the Eocene. Before being established as a distinct genus, fossils of Saghacetus had been described as species of Dorudon. The exact size of Saghacetus is uncertain, … Read more
In Depth Teilhardina is a genus of small primate that is known to have existed during the early Eocene. Perceived to have been similar to a marmoset, fossils of Teilhardina have been reported from Belgium, France and China, but are particularly common from the USA. Further Reading - Early Eocene Teilhardina brandti: oldest omomyid primate … Read more
In Depth With the possible exception of the woolly mammoth (Mammuthus primigenius), Megatherium is arguably the most famous of the giant mammals that once roamed this planet after the decline of the dinosaurs. Megatherium was also one of the last to disappear with remains appearing in the fossil record until as recently as the start … Read more
In Depth Sineleutherus is a genus of euharamiyid that lived in both China and Russia during the Jurassic. Further Reading - Mammals from the Late Jurassic Qigu Formation in the southern Junggar Basin, Xinjiang, northwest China. - Palaeobiodiversity and Palaeoenvironments 90(3):295-319. - T. Martin, A. O. Averianov & H.-U. Pfretzschner - 2010. - The first … Read more
In Depth Originally named as a species of Miacis, Gustafsonia is a genus of small amphicyonid that lived in North America during the Eocene/Oligocene. The amphicyonids are more colloquially known as ‘bear dogs’, though Gustafsonia would have likely been more like a civet in form, and a predator of small animals. Further Reading - Whence … Read more
In Depth A very primitive whale form, Remingtonocetus is noted as being smaller and significantly more gracile than most of its relative genera. This more generalised observation is combined with he fact that all four limbs of Remingtonocetus were still well enough adapted for walking on land while the tail seems to have served little … 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 Further Reading – The late Cenozoic vertebrate faunas from the San Pedro Valley, Ariz. – Proceedings of the United States National Museum 92: 475–518. – C. L. Gazin – 1942.
In Depth Morphologically Puijila looks a lot like an otter, however while otters are classed as musteloid mammals, the skull and teeth of Puijila clearly indicate that it was a pinneped, more commonly called a seal. As an early pinneped Puijila has helped to plug a gap in evolutionary theory concerning the appearance of seals … Read more
In Depth Further Reading Further reading- New carnivore material from the Plio-Pleistocene of Macedonia (Greece) with the description of a new canid. – Munchner Geowissenschaft Abteilung A 34:33-63. – G. D. Koufos & D.S. Kostopoulos – 1997.