Gobiconodon

Go-bee-con-don.
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Emily Green

Paleobotanist

Emily Green brings the ancient world of plants to life through her insightful research and engaging writing. Her expertise lies in examining how prehistoric vegetation influenced climate patterns and animal evolution.

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Name

Gobiconodon ‭(‬Gobi cone tooth‭)‬.

Phonetic

Go-bee-con-don.

Named By

Classification

Chordata,‭ ‬Mammalia,‭ ‬Gobiconodonta,‭ ‬Gobiconodontidae.

Diet

Carnivore/Insectivore.

Species

G.‭ ‬borissiaki‭

Size

About‭ ‬45-50‭ ‬centimetre long,‭ ‬depending upon the species.

Known locations

China,‭ ‬Mongolia,‭ ‬Russia and the USA.

Time Period

Hauterivian to Albian of the Cretaceous.

Fossil representation

Multiple individuals of various species.

In Depth

       Gobiconodon has been perceived to have been a possum-like animal,‭ ‬as well as one of the larger mammals alive during the‭ ‬Early‭ ‬Cretaceous.‭ ‬Although most fossils associated with Gobiconodon are known from Asia,‭ ‬some fossil remains are also known from the USA.‭ ‬Gobiconodon lived during the early Cretaceous and most species of are either Aptian or Albian in age,‭ ‬though G.‭ ‬zofiae from China is slightly earlier at being from the Hauterivian period.

Further Reading

-‭ ‬The first triconodonts‭ (‬Mammalia,‭ ‬Triconodonta‭) ‬from Mongolia.‭ ‬-‭ ‬Doklady Akademii Nauk SSSR‭ ‬243‭ (‬1‭)‬:‭ ‬213‭–‬216.‭ ‬-‭ ‬B.‭ ‬A.‭ ‬Trofimov‭ ‬-‭ ‬1978. -‭ ‬The Early Cretaceous mammal Gobiconodon‭ (‬Mammalia,‭ ‬Triconodonta‭) ‬from the Cloverly Formation in Montana.‭ ‬-‭ ‬Journal of Vertebrate Paleontology‭ ‬8‭ (‬1‭)‬:‭ ‬1‭–‬24. -‭ ‬Early Cretaceous amphilestid‭ ‘‬triconodont‭’) ‬mammals from Mongolia.‭ ‬-‭ ‬Acta Palaeontologica Polonica‭ ‬43‭ (‬3‭)‬:‭ ‬413‭–‬438.‭ ‬-‭ ‬Z.‭ ‬Kielan-Jaworowska‭ & ‬D.‭ ‬Dashzeveg‭ ‬-‭ ‬1998. -‭ ‬First record of an Early Cretaceous triconodont mammal in Siberia.‭ ‬-‭ ‬Bulletin de l’Institut Royal des Sciences Naturelles de Belqique,‭ ‬Sciences de la Terre‭ ‬01/1998‭; ‬68:233‭–‬236.‭ ‬-‭ ‬E.‭ ‬N.‭ ‬Maschenko‭ ‬-‭ ‬A.‭ ‬V.‭ ‬Lopatin‭ ‬-‭ ‬1998. -‭ ‬Gobiconodonts from the Early Cretaceous of Oshih‭ (‬Ashile‭)‬,‭ ‬Mongolia.‭ ‬-‭ ‬American Museum Novitates‭ ‬3348:‭ ‬1‭–‬30.‭ ‬-‭ ‬Rougier,‭ ‬Novacek,‭ ‬McKenna‭ & ‬Wible‭ ‬-‭ ‬2001. -‭ ‬A new species of Gobiconodon (Triconodonta,‭ ‬Mammalia)and its implication for theage of Jehol Biota.‭ ‬-‭ ‬Chinese Science Bulletin‭ ‬48‭ (‬11‭)‬:‭ ‬1129‭–‬1134.‭ ‬-‭ ‬Li Chuankui,‭ ‬Wang Yuanqing,‭ ‬Hu Yaoming‭ & ‬Meng Jin‭ ‬-‭ ‬2003. -‭ ‬Diversity Early Cretaceous mammals from Bol’shoi Kemchug‭ ‬3‭ ‬locality in West Siberia,‭ ‬Russia.‭ ‬-‭ ‬Russian Journal of Theriology‭ ‬4‭ (‬1‭)‬:‭ ‬1‭–‬12.‭ ‬-‭ ‬Alexander O.‭ ‬Averianov,‭ ‬Pavel P.‭ ‬Skutschas,‭ ‬Alexey V.‭ ‬Lopatin,‭ ‬Sergei V.‭ ‬Leshchinskiy,‭ ‬Anton S.‭ ‬Rezvyi‭ & ‬Alexey V.‭ ‬Fayngerts‭ ‬-‭ ‬2005. -‭ ‬A New Species of Gobiconodon‭ (‬Mammalia‭) ‬from Western Liaoning,‭ ‬China and its Implication for the Dental Formula of Gobiconodon.‭ ‬-‭ ‬Acta Geologica Sinica‭ ‬83‭ (‬2‭)‬:‭ ‬207‭–‬211.‭ ‬-‭ ‬Yuan Chongxi,‭ ‬Xu Li,‭ ‬Zhang Xingliao,‭ ‬Xi Yunhong,‭ ‬Wu Yanhua‭ & ‬Ji Qiang‭ ‬-‭ ‬2009. – Two new species of Gobiconodon (Mammalia, Eutriconodonta, Gobiconodontidae) from the Lower Cretaceous Shahai and Fuxin formations, northeastern China. – Historical Biology: An International Journal of Paleobiology. 28 – Nao Kusuhashi, Yuan-Qing Wang, Chuan-Kui Li & Xun Jin – 2015.

SPECIES SPOTLIGHT