Jump to content

Adalatherium

From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

This is an old revision of this page, as edited by NGPezz (talk | contribs) at 14:11, 17 May 2022 (removed more unsourced references to a Paleocene age). The present address (URL) is a permanent link to this revision, which may differ significantly from the current revision.

Adalatherium
Temporal range: Late Cretaceous (Maastrichtian) 70–66 Ma
↓
Scientific classification Edit this classification
Domain: Eukaryota
Kingdom: Animalia
Phylum: Chordata
Class: Mammalia
Clade: †Gondwanatheria
Family: †Adalatheriidae
Krause et al, 2020
Genus: †Adalatherium
Krause et al, 2020
Species:
†A. hui
Binomial name
†Adalatherium hui
Krause et al, 2020

Adalatherium (meaning "crazy beast") is an extinct gondwanatherian that lived on Madagascar during the Cretaceous 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

  1. ^ 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.
  2. ^ "'Crazy beast' lived among last of dinosaurs". BBC News. 2020-04-29. Retrieved 2020-04-29.
  3. ^ Rice, Doyle (April 2020). "The fossil of a bizarre mammal, called 'crazy beast,' has been discovered in Madagascar". USA Today. Retrieved 30 April 2020.
  4. ^ Stony Brook University (April 29, 2020). "Marooned on Mesozoic Madagascar: Researchers discover 66-million-year-old 'crazy beast'". phys.org. Retrieved 2020-05-01.
  5. ^ This 'crazy beast' was a weird early mammal that lived among dinosaurs


Stub icon

This article about a Cretaceous mammal is a stub. You can help Wikipedia by expanding it.

Retrieved from "https://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=Adalatherium&oldid=1088348344"