Docodon

Doc-o-don.
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Nisha Yadav

Physicist

Nisha Yadav is a dedicated physicist whose work bridges the gap between physics and paleontology. With a deep interest in the processes that preserve ancient life, she explores how physical principles govern fossilization and the preservation of extinct species.

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Name

Docodon ‭(‬beam tooth‭)‬.

Phonetic

Doc-o-don.

Named By

Classification

Chordata,‭ ‬Mammalia,‭ ‬Docodonta,‭ ‬Docodontidae.

Diet

Omnivore‭?

Species

D.‭ ‬striatus‭

Size

Lower jaw roughly‭ ‬34‭ ‬millimetres long.‭ ‬Body length roughly estimated at about‭ ‬10‭ ‬centimetres,‭ ‬though this is highly speculative.

Known locations

USA,‭ ‬Colorado‭ ‬-‭ ‬Morrison Formation,‭ ‬Utah‭ ‬-‭ ‬Morrison Formation,‭ ‬Wyoming‭ ‬-‭ ‬Morrison Formation.

Time Period

Kimmeridgian to‭ ‬Tithonian of the Jurassic.

Fossil representation

Usually just teeth and jaws.

In Depth

       Docodon was a small animal that lived in North America during the late Jurassic.‭ ‬Though known mostly from teeth and jaw material,‭ ‬we can tell that Docodon had very complex teeth for the time,‭ ‬and that these may have been used to process a variety of things from insects to seeds and other things.‭ ‬This means that in the absence of actual stomach contents,‭ ‬Docodon is usually perceived to have been an omnivorous mammal.‭

Further Reading

-‭ ‬Notice of new Jurassic mammals representing two new orders.‭ ‬-‭ ‬The American Journal of Science and Arts,‭ ‬series‭ ‬3‭ ‬20‭(‬28‭)‬:235-239‭ ‬-‭ ‬Othniel Charles Marsh‭ ‬-‭ ‬1880. -‭ ‬Notice of new Jurassic mammals.‭ ‬-‭ ‬The American Journal of Science and Arts,‭ ‬series‭ ‬3‭ ‬21‭(‬121-126‭)‬:511-513‭ ‬-‭ ‬Othniel Charles Marsh‭ ‬-‭ ‬1881. The Late Jurassic mammal Docodon,‭ ‬from the Morrison Formation of the Black Hills,‭ ‬Wyoming:‭ ‬implications for abundance and biogeography of the genus.‭ ‬-‭ ‬New Mexico Museum of Natural History and Science Bulletin‭ ‬36:165-169.‭ ‬-‭ ‬J.‭ ‬R.‭ ‬Foster,‭ ‬K.C.‭ ‬Trujillo,‭ ‬S.K.‭ ‬Madsen‭ & ‬J.E.‭ ‬Martin‭ ‬-‭ ‬2006. -‭ ‬American Mesozoic Mammalia.‭ ‬-‭ ‬Memoirs of the Peabody Museum of Yale University‭ ‬3‭(‬1‭)‬:1-171-‭ ‬G.‭ ‬G.‭ ‬Simpson‭ ‬-‭ ‬1929. -‭ ‬A New Species of Docodon‭ (‬Mammaliaformes:‭ ‬Docodonta‭) ‬from the Upper Jurassic Morrison Formation and a Reassessment of Selected Craniodental Characters in Basal Mammaliaforms.‭ ‬-‭ ‬Journal of Mammalian Evolution‭ ‬-‭ ‬Guillermo W.‭ ‬Rougier,‭ ‬Amir S.‭ ‬Sheth,‭ ‬Kenneth Carpenter,‭ ‬Lucas Appella-Guiscafre‭ & ‬Brian M.‭ ‬Davis‭ ‬-‭ ‬2014.

SPECIES SPOTLIGHT