Protungulatum donnae

Protungulatum donnae is the type species for the genus Protungulatum, an extinct early form of eutherian mammal. Though it is by no means the earliest mammal in the fossil record, a 2013 study considers P. donnae to be the oldest undisputed placental mammal fossil,[1][2] though more recent examinations conclude that it was a more basal eutherian and that no placental predates the Paleocene.[3]

Protungulatum
Temporal range: Late Cretaceous - Paleocene, Maastrichtian–Danian
Possible Campanian record
Jaw
Scientific classification
Kingdom:
Phylum:
Class:
Infraclass:
Genus:
Protungulatum

Sloan and Van Valen, 1965
Species:
P. donnae

References

  1. O'Leary, Maureen A.; Bloch, Jonathan I.; Flynn, John J.; Gaudin, Timothy J.; Giallombardo, Andres; Giannini, Norberto P.; Goldberg, Suzann L.; Kraatz, Brian P.; Luo, Zhe-Xi; Meng, Jin; Novacek, Michael J.; Perini, Fernando A.; Randall, Zachary S.; Rougier, Guillermo; Sargis, Eric J.; Silcox, Mary T.; Simmons, Nancy b.; Spaulding, Micelle; Velazco, Paul M.; Weksler, Marcelo; Wible, John r.; Cirranello, Andrea L. (8 February 2013). "The Placental Mammal Ancestor and the Post–K-Pg Radiation of Placentals". Science. 339 (6120): 662–667. Bibcode:2013Sci...339..662O. doi:10.1126/science.1229237. PMID 23393258.
  2. Wilford, John Noble (7 February 2013). "Rat-Size Ancestor Said to Link Man and Beast". New York Times. Retrieved 9 February 2013.
  3. Halliday, Thomas J. D. (2015). "Resolving the relationships of Paleocene placental mammals" (PDF). Biological Reviews. 92 (1): 521–550. doi:10.1111/brv.12242. PMC 6849585. PMID 28075073.
This article is issued from Wikipedia. The text is licensed under Creative Commons - Attribution - Sharealike. Additional terms may apply for the media files.