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Steropodon
''Steropodon'' is a genus of prehistoric platypus-like monotreme, or Oviparity, egg-laying mammal. It contains a single species, ''Steropodon galmani'', that lived about 100.2–96.6 million years ago during the Cretaceous period, from early to middle Cenomanian. It is one of the oldest monotremes discovered, and is one of the oldest Australian mammal discoveries. Several other monotremes are known from the Griman Creek Formation, including ''Dharragarra'', ''Kollikodon'', ''Opalios'', ''Parvopalus'', and ''Stirtodon''. Taxonomy The dentition of ''Steropodon'' is somewhat similar to that of therians—the Placentalia, placentals and the marsupials—specifically the presence of the tribosphenic molar tooth which was thought to be exclusive to therians since the Cretaceous. This, along with the tribosphenic molar discoveries of monotreme-relatives ''Ausktribosphenos'' and ''Ambondro mahabo'' of which the latter evolved in the Jurassic, led to the conclusion that the Molar (tooth), ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Monotreme
Monotremes () are mammals of the order Monotremata. They are the only group of living mammals that lay eggs, rather than bearing live young. The extant monotreme species are the platypus and the four species of echidnas. Monotremes are typified by structural differences in their brains, jaws, digestive tract, reproductive tract, and other body parts, compared to the more common mammalian types. Although they are different from other living mammals in that they lay eggs, female monotremes are like other mammals in that they nurse their young with milk. Monotremes have been considered by some authors to be members of Australosphenida, a clade that contains extinct mammals from the Jurassic and Cretaceous of Madagascar, South America, and Australia, but this categorization is disputed and their taxonomy is under debate. All extant species of monotremes are indigenous to Australia and New Guinea, although they were also present during the Late Cretaceous and Paleocene epochs in s ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Platypus
The platypus (''Ornithorhynchus anatinus''), sometimes referred to as the duck-billed platypus, is a semiaquatic, egg-laying mammal endemic to eastern Australia, including Tasmania. The platypus is the sole living representative or monotypic taxon of its family Ornithorhynchidae and genus ''Ornithorhynchus'', though a number of related species appear in the fossil record. Together with the four species of echidna, it is one of the five extant species of monotremes, mammals that lay eggs instead of giving birth to live young. Like other monotremes, the platypus has a sense of electrolocation, which it uses to detect prey in cloudy water. It is one of the few species of venomous mammals, as the male platypus has a spur on the hind foot that delivers an extremely painful venom. The unusual appearance of this egg-laying, duck-billed, beaver-tailed, otter-footed mammal at first baffled European naturalists. In 1799, the first scientists to examine a preserved platypus bod ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Kollikodon
''Kollikodon'' is an extinct species of mammal, considered to be an early monotreme. It is known only from an opalised dentary fragment, with one premolar and two molars '' in situ'', as well as a referred maxillary fragment containing the last premolar and all four molars. The fossils were found in the Griman Creek Formation at Lightning Ridge, New South Wales, Australia. ''Kollikodon'' lived in the Late Cretaceous period, during the Cenomanian age (99–96 million years ago). Several other monotremes are known from the Griman Creek Formation, including '' Dharragarra'', '' Opalios'', '' Parvopalus'', '' Steropodon'', and '' Stirtodon''. Etymology ''Kollix'' is an ancient Greek word (κολλίξ) for a bread roll. The strange teeth of ''Kollikodon'', when seen from above, resemble hot cross buns, traditionally toasted and eaten on Good Friday. Originally, Michael Archer wanted to name it "Hotcrossbunodon", but met disapproval from his associates. Description Like ''Ste ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Australosphenida
The Australosphenida are a clade of mammals, containing mammals with tribosphenic molars, known from the Jurassic to Mid-Cretaceous of Gondwana. Although they have often been suggested to have acquired tribosphenic molars independently from those of Tribosphenida, this has been disputed. Fossils of australosphenidans have been found from the Jurassic of Madagascar and Argentina, and Cretaceous of Australia and Argentina. Monotremes have also been considered a part of this group in its original definition and in many subsequent studies, but its relationship with other members has been disputed by some scholars. Taxonomy This grouping includes the following taxa: *† Henosferidae, including the genera '' Ambondro'', '' Asfaltomylos'', and '' Henosferus'' from the Jurassic of Argentina and Madagascar. *† Ausktribosphenidae known from the Early Cretaceous of Australia *† Bishopidae including ''Bishops'' from the Lower Cretaceous of Australia and an unnamed genus from the Mid ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Dharragarra
''Dharragarra'' (meaning "platypus" in the Gamilaraay language) is an extinct genus of monotreme mammal from the Late Cretaceous (Cenomanian) Griman Creek Formation of Australia. The genus contains a single species, ''D. aurora'', known from a partial left mandibular ramus. ''Dharragarra'' was likely more closely related to the living platypus than many other monotremes of the Cretaceous. Discovery and naming The ''Dharragarra'' holotype specimen, AM F97262, was discovered in 2002 in sediments of the Griman Creek Formation (Wallangulla Sandstone Member) near Lightning Ridge, New South Wales, Australia. The specimen consists of a partial left horizontal mandibular ramus. This bone was first mentioned by Anne Musser in part of a 2013 publication, where it was identified as a steropodontid. In a 2022 monotreme evolution review, Flannery et al. alluded to it as an unnamed new genus of stem-ornithorhynchid. In 2024, Flannery et al. described ''Dharragarra aurora'' as a new ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Molar (tooth)
The molars or molar teeth are large, flat teeth at the back of the mouth. They are more developed in mammals. They are used primarily to grind food during chewing. The name ''molar'' derives from Latin, ''molaris dens'', meaning "millstone tooth", from ''mola'', millstone and ''dens'', tooth. Molars show a great deal of diversity in size and shape across the mammal groups. The third molar of humans is sometimes vestigial. Human anatomy In humans, the molar teeth have either four or five cusps. Adult humans have 12 molars, in four groups of three at the back of the mouth. The third, rearmost molar in each group is called a wisdom tooth. It is the last tooth to appear, breaking through the front of the gum at about the age of 20, although this varies among individuals and populations, and in many cases the tooth is missing. The human mouth contains upper (maxillary) and lower (mandibular) molars. They are: maxillary first molar, maxillary second molar, maxillary third mol ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Tribosphenic Molar
The molars or molar teeth are large, flat teeth at the back of the mouth. They are more developed in mammals. They are used primarily to grind food during chewing. The name ''molar'' derives from Latin, ''molaris dens'', meaning "millstone tooth", from ''mola'', millstone and ''dens'', tooth. Molars show a great deal of diversity in size and shape across the mammal groups. The third molar of humans is sometimes vestigial. Human anatomy In humans, the molar teeth have either four or five cusps. Adult humans have 12 molars, in four groups of three at the back of the mouth. The third, rearmost molar in each group is called a wisdom tooth. It is the last tooth to appear, breaking through the front of the gum at about the age of 20, although this varies among individuals and populations, and in many cases the tooth is missing. The human mouth contains upper (maxillary) and lower (mandibular) molars. They are: maxillary first molar, maxillary second molar, maxillary third mola ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Stirtodon
''Stirtodon'' is an extinct genus of monotreme mammal from the Late Cretaceous (Cenomanian) Griman Creek Formation of Australia. The genus contains a single species, ''S. elizabethae'', known from a large isolated premolar. ''Stirtodon'' may be the largest toothed monotreme discovered. Several other monotremes are known from the Griman Creek Formation, including ''Dharragarra'', ''Kollikodon'', '' Opalios'', '' Parvopalus'', and ''Steropodon ''Steropodon'' is a genus of prehistoric platypus-like monotreme, or Oviparity, egg-laying mammal. It contains a single species, ''Steropodon galmani'', that lived about 100.2–96.6 million years ago during the Cretaceous period, from early to m ...''. References {{Taxonbar, from1=Q104521351, from2=Q126125973 Prehistoric monotremes Prehistoric mammal genera Cenomanian life Cretaceous mammals of Australia Fossil taxa described in 2020 Mammals described in 2020 ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Opalios
''Opalios'' (meaning "opal") is an extinct genus of monotreme mammal from the Late Cretaceous (Cenomanian) Griman Creek Formation of Australia. The genus contains a single species, ''O. splendens'', known from a fragmentary left dentary. Discovery and naming The ''Opalios'' holotype specimen, AM F132596–AM F132599, was discovered in 2001 in sediments of the Griman Creek Formation (Wallangulla Sandstone Member) near Lightning Ridge, New South Wales, Australia. The specimen consists of four broken pieces of the left dentary. In 2024, Flannery et al. described ''Opalios splendens'' as a new genus and species of early monotreme based on these fossil remains. They erected the new monotypic family Opalionidae within the Ornithorhynchoidea—the superfamily also containing modern echidnas and platypus—to house ''Opalios'' due to its similarity to both of these extant lineages. The generic name, ''Opalios'', is a Greek word meaning "opal", referencing the holotype's opalize ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Parvopalus
''Parvopalus'' (meaning "small opal") is an extinct genus of monotreme mammal from the Late Cretaceous (Cenomanian) Griman Creek Formation of Australia. The genus contains a single species, ''P. clytiei'', known from a partial left dentary. Discovery and naming The ''Parvopalus'' holotype specimen, AM F161198, was discovered in 1999 in sediments of the Griman Creek Formation (Wallangulla Sandstone Member) near Lightning Ridge, New South Wales, Australia. The specimen consists of part of the left dentary. In 2024, Flannery et al. described ''Parvopalus clytiei'' as a new genus and species of early monotreme based on these fossil remains. The generic name, ''Parvopalus'', combines the Latin words "parvus", meaning "small", and "opalus", meaning "opal", referencing the opalized preservation style of the holotype. The specific name, ''clytiei'', honours Clytie Smith who has found several opal fossils near the type locality. Several other monotremes are known from the Grima ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Mammal
A mammal () is a vertebrate animal of the Class (biology), class Mammalia (). Mammals are characterised by the presence of milk-producing mammary glands for feeding their young, a broad neocortex region of the brain, fur or hair, and three Evolution of mammalian auditory ossicles, middle ear bones. These characteristics distinguish them from reptiles and birds, from which their ancestors Genetic divergence, diverged in the Carboniferous Period over 300 million years ago. Around 6,640 Neontology#Extant taxon, extant species of mammals have been described and divided into 27 Order (biology), orders. The study of mammals is called mammalogy. The largest orders of mammals, by number of species, are the rodents, bats, and eulipotyphlans (including hedgehogs, Mole (animal), moles and shrews). The next three are the primates (including humans, monkeys and lemurs), the Artiodactyl, even-toed ungulates (including pigs, camels, and whales), and the Carnivora (including Felidae, ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Ralph Molnar
Ralph E. Molnar is a paleontologist who had been Curator of Mammals at the Queensland Museum and more recently associated with the Museum of Northern Arizona. He is also a research associate at the Texas Natural Science Centre. He co-authored descriptions of the dinosaurs ''Muttaburrasaurus'', '' Kakuru'',Molnar, R.E. & Pledge, N.S. (1980) "A new theropod dinosaur from South Australia." ''Alcheringa'' 4:281-287 '' Minmi'' and '' Ozraptor'', as well as the mammal ''Steropodon ''Steropodon'' is a genus of prehistoric platypus-like monotreme, or Oviparity, egg-laying mammal. It contains a single species, ''Steropodon galmani'', that lived about 100.2–96.6 million years ago during the Cretaceous period, from early to m ...''. References Living people Year of birth missing (living people) Place of birth missing (living people) {{paleontologist-stub ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
