In Depth Although not as well known as Pakicetus and Ambulocetus, Rodhocetus is nonetheless important to the study of how whales evolved from land animals. Rodhocetus is but one of a slowly but steadily growing number of transitional fossil genera, but in Rodhocetus the change can actually be seen across the species as well. … Read more
In Depth Didelphodon acquired its name because of its similar dentition to a modern day opossum, which in turn has indicated a matching diet of insects and small animals. Its body morphology also suggests adaptation for burrowing, a good survival tactic when you consider the predatory dinosaurs of its time. As an ancient marsupial, Didelphodon … Read more
In Depth Metapterodon is a genus of creodont that lived in Africa during the early Miocene. A former species of Metapterodon, M. schlosseri, has now been assigned to its own genus, Falcatodon. Additionally, another species of Metapterodon, M. markgrafi, has been moved to the Sectisodon genus. Further Reading - A new creodont Metapterodon stromeri nov. … Read more
In Depth Fucaia is a genus of aetiocetid whale known to have lived in the waters of the Pacific North-West during the early Oligocene. A former species of Chonecetus, C. goedertorum, is now reassigned as belonging to the Fucaia genus. Further Reading - A new Early Oligocene toothed ‘baleen’ whale (Mysticeti: Aetiocetidae) from western North … Read more
In Depth Most nimravids were relatively small cat-like mammals that ranged between one and two metres in length, but Quercylurus was a giant when compared to these, something which leads to the popular comparison of Quercylurus being the size of a brown bear. This size would make Quercylurus comparable to some of the larger creodont … Read more
In Depth With fossils being recovered from both Oregon and Florida, Pliocyon seems to have a distribution that covered most of the United States. Further Reading – Contributions to the Snake Creek Fauna with notes upon the Pleistocene of western Nebraska, American Museum Expedition of 1916. – Bulletin of the American Museum of Natural History … Read more
In Depth Xenorophus was a predatory whale that so far has only been found in the marine fossil Formations of South Carolina. Xenorophus is also the type genus of the Xenorophidae which also includes Albertocetus and Archaeodelphis. Further Reading - Description of an apparently new toothed cetacean from South Carolina - R. Kellogg - 1923.
In Depth Known from a partial skull, Kuntinaru is a genus of dasypodid armadillo that lived in Bolivia during the Oligocene. Further Reading - Oldest cingulate skulls provide congruence between morphological and molecular scenarios of armadillo evolution. - Proceedings of the Royal Society B 278 (1719): 2791–2797. - Guillaume Billet, Lionel Hautier, Christian de Muizon … Read more
In Depth Erlianomys is a genus of myodont rodent that lived in Mongolia during the Eocene. Further Reading - Erlianomys combinatus, a primitive myodont rodent from the Eocene Arshanto Formation, Nuhetingboerhe, Nei Mongol, China. - Vertebrata PalAsiatica 48 (2): 133–144. - Q. Li & J. Meng - 2010.
Discovery and species During 1935 the palaeontologist Gustav Heinrich Ralph von Koenigswald visited a Chinese apothecary shop in Hong Kong and discovered an unusually large molar, a tooth similar to the large flat ones that you have towards the back of your mouth. Fossils like this are often found in Traditional Chinese medicine where … Read more