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Ambolestes
''Ambolestes'' is an extinct genus of eutherian mammal from the Early Cretaceous of China. It includes a single species, ''Ambolestes zhoui'', known from a single complete skeleton recovered from the Yixian Formation (126 Ma), part of the fossiliferous Jehol biota. ''Ambolestes'' is one of the most basal eutherians, presenting a combination of features from both early eutherians (stem- placentals) and early metatherians (stem- marsupials). This is responsible for the generic name of ''Ambolestes'': "''ambo''" is Latin for "both", while "-''lestes''" ( Greek for "robber") is a popular suffix for fossil mammals. The species name honors influential Jehol paleontologist Zhou Zhonghe. Description ''Ambolestes'' was a fairly small mammal, with an estimated mass of 34–44 g (about the size of a modern mouse opossum, '' Marmosa''). It was likely similar in appearance and habits to other putative Yixian Formation therians, such as '' Eomaia'' and '' Sinodelphys''. There are sev ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Early Cretaceous
The Early Cretaceous ( geochronological name) or the Lower Cretaceous (chronostratigraphic name), is the earlier or lower of the two major divisions of the Cretaceous. It is usually considered to stretch from 145 Ma to 100.5 Ma. Geology Proposals for the exact age of the Barremian-Aptian boundary ranged from 126 to 117 Ma until recently (as of 2019), but based on drillholes in Svalbard the defining early Aptian Oceanic Anoxic Event 1a (OAE1a) was carbon isotope dated to 123.1±0.3 Ma, limiting the possible range for the boundary to c. 122–121 Ma. There is a possible link between this anoxic event and a series of Early Cretaceous large igneous provinces (LIP). The Ontong Java-Manihiki-Hikurangi large igneous province, emplaced in the South Pacific at c. 120 Ma, is by far the largest LIP in Earth's history. The Ontong Java Plateau today covers an area of 1,860,000 km2. In the Indian Ocean another LIP began to form at c. 120 Ma, the Kerguelen P ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |