Adelobasileus

A-del-o-bah-sil-e-us.
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Cassidy Wood

Paleoentomologist

Cassidy Wood uncovers the tiny yet significant world of prehistoric insects. Her research on amber-preserved specimens has revealed intricate details about ancient ecosystems.

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Name

Adelobasileus ‭(‬Obscure king‭)‬.

Phonetic

A-del-o-bah-sil-e-us.

Named By

S.‭ ‬G.‭ ‬Hunt‭ & ‬A.‭ ‬P.‭ ‬Hunt‭ ‬-‭ ‬1990.

Classification

Chordata,‭ ‬Mammaliamorpha.

Diet

Insectivore.

Species

A.‭ ‬cromptoni‭

Size

Uncertain due to lack of remains,‭ ‬Skull length about‭ ‬17‭ ‬millimetres.

Known locations

USA,‭ ‬Texas‭ ‬-‭ ‬Tecovas Formation.

Time Period

Carnian of the Triassic.

Fossil representation

Partial skull.

In Depth

       A rather small and unassuming little creature,‭ ‬Adelobasileus is an evolutionary giant because it helps to bridge the gap between cyonodonts and later primitive mammal forms of the Triassic.‭ ‬At the time of its description,‭ ‬it was the earliest known proto-mammal.‭ ‬Because of its small size,‭ ‬Adelobasileus was probably an insectivore in its behaviour,‭ ‬but one that needed to keep out of sight of early dinosaurs such as Coelophysis.

Further Reading

-‭ ‬The oldest mammal,‭ ‬S.‭ ‬G.‭ ‬Hunt‭ & ‬A.‭ ‬P.‭ ‬Hunt‭ ‬-‭ ‬1990. -‭ ‬Adelobasileus from the upper Triassic of west Texas:‭ ‬the oldest mammal,‭ ‬S.‭ ‬G.‭ ‬Lucas‭ & ‬Z.‭ ‬Luo‭ ‬-‭ ‬1993.

SPECIES SPOTLIGHT