|
Argentoconodon
''Argentoconodon'' (meaning "Argentina cone tooth") is an extinct genus of theriimorph mammal from the Cañadón Asfalto Formation of the Cañadón Asfalto Basin in Patagonia. When originally described, it was known only from a single molariform tooth, which possessed a combination of primitive and derived features. The tooth is currently held in the Museo Paleontológico Egidio Feruglio, where it was given the specimen number MPEF-PV 1877. New material described in 2011 show that ''Argentoconodon'' was similar to '' Ichthyoconodon'', ''Jugulator'' and ''Volaticotherium'' within the family Triconodontidae, and possibly also '' Triconolestes''. Aerial locomotion Several postcranial similarities to ''Volaticotherium'' suggest that ''Argentoconodon'' was capable of gliding. In particular, its femur shares the same shape and proportions as its more complete relative, being highly specialised and without a femoral head, being less competent in rotational movement but more usefu ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Eutriconodonts
Eutriconodonta is an order (biology), order of early mammals. Eutriconodonts existed in Asia, Africa, Europe, North America, North and South America during the Jurassic and the Cretaceous periods. The order was named by Kermack ''et al.'' in 1973 as a replacement name for the paraphyletic Triconodonta. Traditionally seen as the classical Mesozoic small mammalian insectivores, discoveries over the years have shown them to be among the best examples of the diversity of mammals in this time period, including a vast variety of bodyplans, ecological niches and locomotion methods. Classification "Triconodonta" had long been used as the name for an order of early mammals which were close relatives of the ancestors of all present-day mammals, characterized by molar teeth with three main cusps on a crown that were arranged in a row. The group originally included only the family Triconodontidae and taxa that were later assigned to the separate family Amphilestidae, but was later expanded ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Volaticotherium
''Volaticotherium antiquum'' (meaning "ancient gliding beast") is an extinct, gliding, insectivorous mammal that lived in Asia during the Jurassic period, around 164 mya. It is the only member of the genus ''Volaticotherium''. The discovery of ''Volaticotherium'' provided the earliest-known record of a gliding mammal (70 million years older than the next oldest example), until the discovery of the contemporary haramiyidans ''Maiopatagium'', ''Vilevolodon'' and ''Xianshou'', and provided further evidence of mammalian diversity during the Mesozoic Era. The closely related and significantly older ''Argentoconodon'' shows similar post-cranial adaptations for aerial locomotion also seen in ''Volaticotherium''. Discovery The only known fossil of ''Volaticotherium'' was recovered from the Daohugou Beds of Ningcheng County, Inner Mongolia, China. The age of the Daohugou Beds is currently uncertain and the subject of debate, but most studies suggest an age of around 164 plus or minus ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Ichthyoconodon
''Ichthyoconodon'' is an extinct genus of eutriconodont mammal from the Lower Cretaceous of Morocco. It is notable for having been found in a unique marine location, and the shape of its teeth suggests an unusual, potentially fish-eating ecological niche. Analysis suggests it is part of a group of gliding mammals that includes '' Volaticotherium''. Description ''Ichthyoconodon'' is only known from two molar teeth from Anoual Syncline sediments of Morocco, in the Ksar Metlili Formation which dates to the Berriasian. These teeth possess characteristics associated with volaticotherian eutriconodontan mammals. The molars are only around 4 millimeters long, a size comparable to the related species ''Jugulator''. They are compressed into blade-like shape, and arranged in a line, with a slight recurve, similar to other animals in this group such as '' Argentoconodon''. Etymology ''Ichthyoconodon'' essentially means "fish cone tooth", from the Greek ιχθυς, "fish", κῶνος, " ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Jugulator (mammal)
''Jugulator'' is an extinct genus of mammals from the Cretaceous of North America. It contains one species, ''Jugulator amplissimus''. A eutriconodont, it is known from the Cedar Mountain Formation, and is both a large sized and possibly ecologically specialised taxon, showcasing the diversity of mammals in the Mesozoic. Description ''Jugulator'' is known primarily from isolated teeth and dentaries. The species is most distinctive in regards to its large size, being among the largest mammals in the region, some lower molars exceeding 5 mm in length and with an estimated body weight of about 750 g. The medial lower incisor is greatly enlarged, with a mitten-shaped crown that bears sharp cutting surfaces. Phylogeny Always recognised as a triconodontid eutriconodont, the most recent phylogenetic studies recover ''Jugulator'' as the sister taxon of a clade comprising ''Volaticotherium'', ''Ichthyoconodon'', ''Triconolestes'', and ''Argentoconodon'', known as Volaticotherini.A. O ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Triconolestes
''Triconolestes'' is an extinct genus of Late Jurassic eutriconodont mammal from the Morrison Formation, present in stratigraphic zones 4.Foster, J. (2007). "Appendix." ''Jurassic West: The Dinosaurs of the Morrison Formation and Their World''. Indiana University Press. pp. 327-329. Known from only a single molar, it is a small mammal typically considered an amphilestid. However, it has also been compared to '' Argentoconodon'', which has been considered a volaticothere related to gliding mammals such as ''Volaticotherium'' and ''Ichthyoconodon''. See also * List of prehistoric mammals * Paleobiota of the Morrison Formation The Morrison Formation is a distinctive sequence of Late Jurassic sedimentary rock that is found in the western United States, which has a wide assortment of taxa represented in its fossil record, including dinosaur fossils in North America. It is ... References * Foster, J. (2007). Jurassic West: The Dinosaurs of the Morrison Formation and Their World. ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Cañadón Asfalto Formation
The Cañadón Asfalto Formation is a Lower Jurassic to Late Jurassic geologic formation, from the Jurassic period of the Mesozoic Era. Its age is controversial, uranium-lead dating of the volcanic tuff beds having given various different ages. A Recent work suggested that the base of the formation was formed around 171 Ma, during the upper Aalenian, while the main age for the Lower Las Chacritas Member being around 168 Ma, during the Bajocian, Bathonian and Callovian While the overlying Puesto Almada Member seems to be around 158 ma, or Oxfordian age, that changed thanks to the discovery of zircons near the location of discovery of '' Bagualia'', allowing a precise age of Las Charcitas Member as Middle-Late Toarcian, 178-179 million years, and a later study constrained the age of the formation as Middle Toarcian-Lower Bajocian, being contemporaneous to the Chon Aike volcanic activity, being a local equivalent to Antarctica's Mawson Formation. It is located in the Cañadón Asfa ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Cañadón Asfalto Basin
The Cañadón Asfalto Basin ( es, Cuenca de Cañadón Asfalto) is an irregularly shaped sedimentary basin located in north-central Patagonia, Argentina. The basin stretches from and partly covers the North Patagonian Massif in the north, a high forming the boundary of the basin with the Neuquén Basin in the northwest, to the Cotricó High in the south, separating the basin from the Golfo San Jorge Basin. It is located in the southern part of Río Negro Province and northern part of Chubut Province. The eastern boundary of the basin is the North Patagonian Massif separating it from the offshore Valdés Basin and it is bound in the west by the Patagonian Andes, separating it from the small Ñirihuau Basin. The basin started forming in the Early Jurassic, with the break-up of Pangea and the creation of the South Atlantic, when extensional tectonics, including rifting, formed several basins in eastern South America and southwestern Africa. The accommodation space in the Cañadón Asf ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Triconodontidae
Triconodontidae is an extinct family of small, carnivorous mammals belonging to the order Eutriconodonta, endemic to what would become Asia, Europe, North America and probably also Africa and South America during the Jurassic through Cretaceous periods at least from 190–70.6 mya. Triconodontids can be distinguished from other eutriconodonts by the shape of their molars, which bore three main cusps of roughly equal size. During occlusion, the upper and lower molars interlocked tightly, producing a self-sharpening cutting edge. Historically, the triconodontids were thought to have a different occlusion pattern than other eutriconodonts, with the middle cusp of the lower molar (cusp a) fitting between the middle cusp (cusp A) and the front cusp (cusp B) of the upper molar, as in the basal mammaliaform ''Morganucodon''. However, a 2020 study on ''Priacodon'' suggests that triconodontids occluded their molars in the same manner as other eutriconodonts (so-called "embrasure occlusio ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Gliding Animals
A number of animals are capable of aerial locomotion, either by powered flight or by gliding. This trait has appeared by evolution many times, without any single common ancestor. Flight has evolved at least four times in separate animals: insects, pterosaurs, birds, and bats. Gliding has evolved on many more occasions. Usually the development is to aid canopy animals in getting from tree to tree, although there are other possibilities. Gliding, in particular, has evolved among rainforest animals, especially in the rainforests in Asia (most especially Borneo) where the trees are tall and widely spaced. Several species of aquatic animals, and a few amphibians and reptiles have also evolved this gliding flight ability, typically as a means of evading predators. Types Animal aerial locomotion can be divided into two categories: powered and unpowered. In unpowered modes of locomotion, the animal uses aerodynamic forces exerted on the body due to wind or falling through the air. I ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Condorodon
''Condorodon'' is a genus of extinct mammals from the Lower Jurassic Cañadón Asfalto Formation of the Cañadón Asfalto Basin in Patagonia, Argentina. The type species is ''C. spanios'', described by Gaetano and Rougier in 2012. Classification One of the only two known South American eutriconodonts, ''Condorodon'' differs from the somewhat older '' Argentoconodon'', a relative of '' Volaticotherium'', in the morphology of the molariform teeth. It is closely related to the Late Jurassic amphilesthere '' Tendagurodon'' from the Tendaguru Formation The Tendaguru Formation, or Tendaguru Beds are a highly fossiliferous formation and Lagerstätte located in the Lindi Region of southeastern Tanzania. The formation represents the oldest sedimentary unit of the Mandawa Basin, overlying Neoproter ... of Tanzania, Africa.L. C. Gaetano and G. W. Rougier. 2012. First amphilestid from South America: a molariform from the Jurassic Cañadón Asfalto Formation, Patagonia, Argentina. Jour ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Jurassic Mammals Of South America
The Jurassic ( ) is a geologic period and stratigraphic system that spanned from the end of the Triassic Period million years ago (Mya) to the beginning of the Cretaceous Period, approximately Mya. The Jurassic constitutes the middle period of the Mesozoic Era and is named after the Jura Mountains, where limestone strata from the period were first identified. The start of the Jurassic was marked by the major Triassic–Jurassic extinction event, associated with the eruption of the Central Atlantic Magmatic Province. The beginning of the Toarcian Stage started around 183 million years ago and is marked by an extinction event associated with widespread oceanic anoxia, ocean acidification, and elevated temperatures likely caused by the eruption of the Karoo-Ferrar large igneous provinces. The end of the Jurassic, however, has no clear boundary with the Cretaceous and is the only boundary between geological periods to remain formally undefined. By the beginning of the Jurassic, ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Jurassic Argentina
The Jurassic ( ) is a geologic period and stratigraphic system that spanned from the end of the Triassic Period million years ago (Mya) to the beginning of the Cretaceous Period, approximately Mya. The Jurassic constitutes the middle period of the Mesozoic Era and is named after the Jura Mountains, where limestone strata from the period were first identified. The start of the Jurassic was marked by the major Triassic–Jurassic extinction event, associated with the eruption of the Central Atlantic Magmatic Province. The beginning of the Toarcian Stage started around 183 million years ago and is marked by an extinction event associated with widespread oceanic anoxia, ocean acidification, and elevated temperatures likely caused by the eruption of the Karoo-Ferrar large igneous provinces. The end of the Jurassic, however, has no clear boundary with the Cretaceous and is the only boundary between geological periods to remain formally undefined. By the beginning of the Jurassic, t ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
_in_flight%2C_Cley%2C_Norfolk_1700.jpg "Click for more on -> Gliding Animals")
