Adalatherium
Adalatherium Temporal range: Late Cretaceous-Paleocene,
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Scientific classification ![]() | |
Kingdom: | Animalia |
Phylum: | Chordata |
Class: | Mammalia |
Clade: | †Gondwanatheria |
Family: | †Adalatheriidae Krause et. al, 2020 |
Genus: | †Adalatherium Krause et. al, 2020 |
Species: | †A. hui
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Binomial name | |
†Adalatherium hui Krause et. al, 2020
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Adalatherium (meaning "crazy beast") is an extinct gondwanatherian that lived on Madagascar during the Cretaceous and early Paleocene period, during the Maastrichtian.[1][2] The discovery of the first nearly-complete Adalatherium skeleton from the Maevarano Formation was announced in April 2020.
While typical mammals found from that era were around the size of a mouse, the skeleton found — thought to merely be a juvenile — was 60 cm (2 ft) long.[3] It is depicted in reconstructions as being built somewhat like a badger. Its skeleton is the most complete of any Southern Hemisphere Mesozoic mammal. Additionally, the front of the skull contains more foramina than any known mammal.[4][5]
References[]
- ^ Krause, David W.; Hoffmann, Simone; Hu, Yaoming; Wible, John R.; Rougier, Guillermo W.; Kirk, E. Christopher; Groenke, Joseph R.; Rogers, Raymond R.; Rossie, James B.; Schultz, Julia A.; Evans, Alistair R. (2020-04-29). "Skeleton of a Cretaceous mammal from Madagascar reflects long-term insularity". Nature. 581 (7809): 421–427. doi:10.1038/s41586-020-2234-8. ISSN 1476-4687. PMID 32461642. S2CID 216650606.
- ^ "'Crazy beast' lived among last of dinosaurs". BBC News. 2020-04-29. Retrieved 2020-04-29.
- ^ Rice, Doyle (April 2020). "The fossil of a bizarre mammal, called 'crazy beast,' has been discovered in Madagascar". USA Today. Retrieved 30 April 2020.
- ^ Stony Brook University (April 29, 2020). "Marooned on Mesozoic Madagascar: Researchers discover 66-million-year-old 'crazy beast'". phys.org. Retrieved 2020-05-01.
- ^ This 'crazy beast' was a weird early mammal that lived among dinosaurs
Categories:
- Gondwanatheres
- Late Cretaceous mammals
- Maastrichtian life
- Cretaceous Madagascar
- Fossils of Madagascar
- Maevarano fauna
- Fossil taxa described in 2020
- Taxa named by David W. Krause
- Taxa named by Simone Hoffmann
- Taxa named by Yaoming Hu
- Taxa named by John R. Wible
- Taxa named by Guillermo W. Rougier
- Taxa named by E. Christopher Kirk
- Taxa named by Joseph R. Groenke
- Taxa named by Raymond R. Rogers
- Taxa named by James B. Rossie
- Taxa named by Julia A. Schultz
- Taxa named by Alistair R. Evans
- Taxa named by Wighart von Koenigswald
- Taxa named by Lydia J. Rahantarisoa
- Cretaceous mammal stubs