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Malleodectes
''Malleodectes'' is a genus of unusual marsupial, first discovered in 2011 at Australian Fossil Mammal Sites (Riversleigh), Riversleigh, Queensland, Australia. It could grow as large as a ferret, and lived in the Miocene, . The reason for its name, which means "Hammer Biter", is because it has blunt, hammer like teeth, not known from any other mammal extant or extinct. However, Scott Hocknull from the Queensland Museum has noticed similarities to the modern pink-tongued skink (''Cyclodomorphus gerrardii''), a reptile specialised for eating snails. This suggests that ''Malleodectes'' too was a specialised snail hunter. Taxonomy The description of the new genus and two species, was published in 2011, based on fossilised type material discovered at a Riversleigh site. The type species is named ''Malleodectes mirabilis'' and the second description published as ''Malleodectes moenia''; their generic epithet combines terms derived from the Latin, ''malleo'' meaning hammer, and Ancien ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Malleodectes Mirabilis
''Malleodectes'' is a genus of unusual marsupial, first discovered in 2011 at Australian Fossil Mammal Sites (Riversleigh), Riversleigh, Queensland, Australia. It could grow as large as a ferret, and lived in the Miocene, . The reason for its name, which means "Hammer Biter", is because it has blunt, hammer like teeth, not known from any other mammal extant or extinct. However, Scott Hocknull from the Queensland Museum has noticed similarities to the modern pink-tongued skink (''Cyclodomorphus gerrardii''), a reptile specialised for eating snails. This suggests that ''Malleodectes'' too was a specialised snail hunter. Taxonomy The description of the new genus and two species, was published in 2011, based on fossilised type material discovered at a Riversleigh site. The type species is named ''Malleodectes mirabilis'' and the second description published as ''Malleodectes moenia''; their generic epithet combines terms derived from the Latin, ''malleo'' meaning hammer, and Ancien ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |