In Depth Adapis is considered to be one of the first primates and is the type genus of the Adapidae. These primates have grasping hands that have nails rather than claws and the post cranial skeletons of them are similar to those of lemurs. Adapis did not have a nose like some primates (including humans) … Read more
In Depth Eomaia was a ground breaking discovery as this little mammal is the oldest known placental mammal in the fossil record. Placental mammals are those that have young that develop inside their mother’s womb and are connected to their mother’s body via a placenta until they are ready to be born. Earlier Mammaliaformes such … Read more
In Depth Palorchestes was a large and probably heavy diprotodont, a kind of large quadrupedal herbivore that as a group had a distribution exclusive to ancient Australia. With this appearance in mind, it seems odd that this creature should be given a name that means ‘ancient leaper’, but this is easily enough explained by the … Read more
In Depth Astrapotherium is noted for having high nostrils, something that has led to the idea that a great amount of soft tissue was present upon this part of the head. The exact kind of tissue however is still unknown, with speculation that it could have been some kind of short trunk or prehensile lip, … Read more
In Depth Although Nakalipithecus is so far only known from a jaw bone, Nakalipithecus has been a major contribution to our understanding of hominid evolution specifically regarding hominines, including the ancestors of humans. For some time there have been two competing theories regarding the ancient origins of our own direct ancestors, concerning either an African … Read more
In Depth Samburupithecus is known to have low and broad cheek bones that housed a large maxillary sinus. The alveolar process (the bone that holds the teeth) is straight and houses teeth that are elongated back to front, similar to some great apes. The teeth have a thick coating of enamel and have cusps that … Read more
In Depth When Mauicetus was first named it was originally as Lophocephalus. However this name had already been used to name a genus of beetle. Under international rules governing the naming of animals, the first use has priority, so the fossils of this whale were renamed Mauicetus. Mauicetus lived in the waters around the Pacific … Read more
In Depth In popular culture Amphicyon is possibly the best known genera of the group known as ‘bear dogs’. This group was so named because of the immensely robust build of the body that gave them the appearance of bears even though the heads were more dog-like. Despite this more general name, Amphicyon was not … Read more
In Depth Liaoconodon is an interesting genus of mammal that lived in China during the latter half of the early Cretaceous. The ear structure of Liaoconodon has been identified as being transitional, helping to reveal how primitive ear structures in mammals developed to what we see in later more advanced forms. Further Reading - Transitional … Read more
In Depth Although Alphadon is only named from teeth, these are very similar to possums. Combined with our current knowledge of other late Cretaceous mammals, palaeontologists have concluded that Alphadon was probably a possum-like mammal that fed upon a variety of insects and fruits. Additionally Alphadon is classed as a marsupial which means that young … Read more