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
In Depth Gandakasia is a little known genus of primitive whale from Pakistan, and not surprising given that the genus was named only upon the description of teeth. Further Reading - Pal�ontologische und geologische Untersuchungen im Terti�r von Pakistan. - Bayerische Akademie der Wissenschaften Mathewmatisch-Naturwissenschaftliche Klasse 91:1-54. - R. Dehm & T. Oettingen-Spielberg - 1958.
In Depth As a nimravid, Dinictis looked and hunted like a cat, yet it hunted across North America during a much earlier period before the emergence of true cats, hence the reason why the label of ‘false sabre-toothed cat’ is often applied to Dinictis as well as the other nimravids. One key difference is the … Read more
In Depth Plesiadapis is popularly depicted as the ancestor of the primates, something that is reflected in its name that means ‘near Adapis’, one of the earliest known primates. This idea is not without its critics however, with most palaeontologists preferring to treat it as a representative of an ancestral form rather than ‘the’ ancestor … Read more
In Depth Simbakubwa is a genus of large hyaenodont that lived in Africa during the Miocene. Further Reading - Simbakubwa kutokaafrika, gen. et sp. nov. (Hyainailourinae, Hyaenodonta, ‘Creodonta,’ Mammalia), a gigantic carnivore from the earliest Miocene of Kenya. - Journal of Vertebrate Paleontology. 39: e1570222. - M. R. Borths & N. J. Sevens - 2019.
In Depth Just one of many primitive whale forms from Pakistan, Takracetus is related to other primitive forms such as Rodhocetus and Protocetus amongst others. Further Reading Further reading- New archaeocetes (Mammalia, Cetacea) from the Middle Eocene Domanda Formation of the Sulaiman Range, Punjab (Pakistan). – Contributions from the Museum of Paleontology, University of Michigan … Read more
In Depth Victoriaceros is a genus of extinct elamostherine rhinoceros that lived in what is now Kenya during the mid Miocene. The nasal horn of Victoriaceros has been noted as being particularly large. Victoriaceros is named after Lake Victoria in Kenya which is near where the holotype remains were found. The type species name means … Read more