Docofossor

Doc-o-fos-sor.
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Liam Carter

Paleoanthropologist

Liam Carter explores the roots of humanity by studying early human fossils and artifacts. His ground-breaking work has provided a deeper understanding of our ancestors' lifestyles and social structures.

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Name

Docofossor ‭(‬Docodonta digger‭)‬.

Phonetic

Doc-o-fos-sor.

Named By

Z.-X.‭ ‬Luo,‭ ‬Q.-J.‭ ‬Meng,‭ ‬Q.‭ ‬Ji,‭ ‬Y.-G.‭ ‬Zhang‭ & ‬A.‭ ‬I.‭ ‬Neander‭ ‬-‭ ‬2015.

Classification

Chordata,‭ ‬Mammalia,‭ ‬Docodonta,‭ ‬Docodontidae.

Diet

Insectivore.

Species

D.‭ ‬brachydactylus‭

Size

At least nine meters long.

Known locations

China,‭ ‬Hebei Province‭ ‬-‭ ‬Tiaojishan Formation.

Time Period

Oxfordian‭ ‬of the Jurassic.

Fossil representation

Partial jaw and post cranial skeletal remains.

In Depth

       Docofossor is a genus of mammaliform that lived in China during the late Jurassic.‭ ‬Docofossor is noted as having similar features as modern day members of Chrysochloridae,‭ ‬better known as golden moles,‭ ‬leading researchers to suggest that Docofossor may have lived a similar life,‭ ‬using powerful fore arms to dig into the ground and expose invertebrates to eat.

Further Reading

-‭ ‬Evolutionary development in basal mammaliaforms as revealed by a docodontan.‭ ‬Science‭ ‬347‭(‬6223‭)‬:760-764.‭ ‬-‭ ‬Z.-X.‭ ‬Luo,‭ ‬Q.-J.‭ ‬Meng,‭ ‬Q.‭ ‬Ji,‭ ‬Y.-G.‭ ‬Zhang‭ & ‬A.‭ ‬I.‭ ‬Neander‭ ‬-‭ ‬2015.

SPECIES SPOTLIGHT