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Tribosphenida
Tribosphenida is a clade of mammals that includes the ancestor of ''Hypomylos'', Aegialodontia and Theria (the last common ancestor of marsupials and placentals plus all of its descendants). It belongs to the group Zatheria. The current definition of Tribosphenida is more or less synonymous with Boreosphenida. Characteristics Tribosphenid mammals were originally grouped on the basis of triangular or V-shaped (Molar (tooth)#Tribosphenic, tribosphenic) molars. The relationship of the also tribosphenic australosphenidans, a group of mammals from the Jurassic-Cretaceous of the Southern Hemisphere often suggested to be close relatives of living Monotreme, monotremes, has been questioned, and it has been argued that they developed tribosphenic molars independently from those of "true" tribosphenidans. Some authors have alternatively continued to argue that non-monotreme australosphenidans are in fact true tribosphenidans unrelated to monotremes. "True" unambiguous members of Tribospheni ... [...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] |
Zatheria
Cladotheria is a clade (sometimes ranked as a Legion (taxonomy), legion) of mammals. It contains modern therian mammals (marsupials and Placentalia, placentals) and several extinct groups, such as the "dryolestoids", amphitheriids and peramurids. The clade was named in 1975 by Malcolm McKenna. In 2002, it was defined as a node-based taxon containing "the common ancestor of dryolestids and living therians, plus all its descendants". A different, stem-based taxon, stem-based definition was given in 2013, in which Cladotheria contains all taxa that are closer to ''Mus musculus'' (the house mouse) than to the "symmetrodont" ''Spalacotherium tricuspidens''. Cladotheria incorporates a set of nested mammal clades culminating in Tribosphenida (also known as Boreosphenida), mammals with fully Tribosphenic molar, tribosphenic teeth such as therians and a few of their closest relatives. The clade Prototribosphenida includes "the common ancestor of ''Vincelestes'' and living therians, plus al ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Theria
Theria ( or ; ) is a scientific classification, subclass of mammals amongst the Theriiformes. Theria includes the eutherians (including the Placentalia, placental mammals) and the metatherians (including the marsupials) but excludes the egg-laying monotremes and various extinct mammals evolving prior to the common ancestor of placentals and marsupials. Characteristics Therians give birth to live young without a shelled egg (biology), egg. This is possible thanks to key proteins called Syncytin-1, syncytins which allow exchanges between the mother and its offspring through a placenta, even Marsupial#Reproductive system, rudimental ones such as in marsupials. Genetic studies have suggested a viral origin of syncytins through the Endogenous retrovirus, endogenization process. The marsupials and the placentals evolved from a common therian ancestor that gave live birth by suppressing the mother's immune system. While the marsupials continued to give birth to an underdeveloped fe ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Aegialodontia
Aegialodontia is a clade of extinct early mammals, close to the origin of Boreosphenida. The clade includes some of the oldest known tribosphenic taxa, until the discovery of '' Tribactonodon'' from the Berriasian Durlston Formation in 2001, '' Aegialodon'' from the Valanginian Wadhurst Clay Formation was the oldest taxon with the tooth form. The Aptian to Albian The Albian is both an age (geology), age of the geologic timescale and a stage (stratigraphy), stage in the stratigraphic column. It is the youngest or uppermost subdivision of the Early Cretaceous, Early/Lower Cretaceous epoch (geology), Epoch/s ... taxon '' Kielantherium'' from Mongolia, formerly a synonym of ''Aegialodon'', is also within the group, sister to ''Aegialodon'' within Aegialodontidae. References Prehistoric mammals Tribosphenida {{Cretaceous-mammal-stub ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Ambondro Mahabo
''Ambondro mahabo'' is a mammal from the Middle Jurassic (Bathonian) Isalo III Formation (about 167 million years ago) of Madagascar. The only described species of the genus ''Ambondro'', it is known from a fragmentary mandible, lower jaw with three teeth, interpreted as the last premolar and the first two molar (tooth), molars. The premolar consists of a central cusp (dentistry), cusp with one or two smaller cusps and a cingulum (dentistry), cingulum (shelf) on the inner, or lingual, side of the tooth. The molars also have such a lingual cingulum. They consist of two groups of cusps: a trigonid of three cusps at the front and a talonid with a main cusp, a smaller cusp, and a crest at the back. Features of the talonid suggest that ''Ambondro'' had tribosphenic molars, the basic arrangement of molar features also present in marsupial and placental mammals. It is the oldest known mammal with putatively tribosphenic teeth; at the time of its discovery it antedated the second oldest ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Eomaia
''Eomaia'' ("dawn mother") is a genus of extinct fossil mammals containing the single species ''Eomaia scansoria'', discovered in rocks that were found in the Yixian Formation, Liaoning Province, China, and dated to the Barremian Age of the Lower Cretaceous about . The single fossil specimen of this species is in length and virtually complete. An estimate of the body weight is . It is exceptionally well-preserved for a 125-million-year-old specimen. Although the fossil's skull is squashed flat, its teeth, tiny foot bones, cartilages and even its fur are visible. Description The ''Eomaia'' fossil shows clear traces of hair. However, this is not the earliest clear evidence of hair in the mammalian lineage, as fossils of '' Volaticotherium'', and the docodont ''Castorocauda'', discovered in rocks dated to about , also have traces of fur. ''Eomaia scansoria'' possessed several features in common with placental mammals that distinguish them from metatherians, the group that include ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Evolution Of Mammalian Auditory Ossicles
The evolution of mammalian auditory ossicles was an evolutionary process that resulted in the formation of the mammalian middle ear, where the three middle ear bones or ossicles, namely the incus, malleus and stapes (a.k.a. "the anvil, hammer, and stirrup"), are a defining characteristic of mammals. The event is well-documented and important academically as a demonstration of transitional fossil, transitional forms and exaptation, the re-purposing of existing structures during evolution. The ossicles evolved from skull bones present in most tetrapods, including amphibians, sauropsids (which include extant taxon, extant reptiles and birds) and early synapsids (which include ancestors of mammals). The reptilian quadrate bone, quadrate, articular bone, articular and columella (auditory system), columella bones are homologs of the mammalian incus, malleus and stapes, respectively. In reptiles (and early synapsids by association), the eardrum is connected to the inner ear via a single ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Allotheria
Allotheria (meaning "other beasts", from the Ancient Greek language, Greek , '–other and , '–wild animal) is an extinct clade of mammals known from the Mesozoic and early Cenozoic. Shared characteristics of the group are the presence of lower Molar (tooth), molariform Tooth (animal), teeth equipped with longitudinal rows of cusps and enlarged incisors. Typically, the canine teeth are also lost. Allotheria includes Multituberculata, Gondwanatheria (which may be part of Multituberculata, as the sister group to Cimolodonta), and probably Haramiyida, (sometimes only including Euharamiyida) although some studies have recovered haramiyidans to be basal mammaliaforms unrelated to multituberculates. Allotherians are often placed as crown group mammals, more closely related to living marsupials and placentals (Theria) than to monotremes or Eutriconodonta, eutriconodonts, though some studies place the entirety of Allotheria outside of crown Mammalia. References Further reading Z ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Theriiformes
Theriiformes is a clade of mammals. The term was coined by Timothy B. Rowe in his doctoral dissertation, and is defined as the clade formed by the most recent common ancestor of multituberculates (which form part of the broader group Allotheria, along with Gondwanatheria and likely all/part of Haramiyida) and Theria (the group containing marsupials and placental mammals). Mammals more closely related to therians than to multituberculates are included in the clade Trechnotheria. As multituberculates are usually considered more closely related to therians than monotremes are (though some studies have recovered allotherians as less closely related to therians than monotremes are, placing them outside of crown group Mammalia) it is considered to be a subgroup of the mammalian crown group In phylogenetics, the crown group or crown assemblage is a collection of species composed of the living representatives of the collection, the most recent common ancestor of the collection, ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Prototheria
Prototheria (, ; from Ancient Greek "first" and "wild animal") is an obsolete subclass of mammals which includes the living Monotremata and to which a variety of extinct groups, including Morganucodonta, Docodonta, Triconodonta and Multituberculata, have also been assigned. It is today no longer considered a valid grouping, but rather a paraphyletic evolutionary grade of basal mammals and mammaliaform cynodonts. Most of the animals in this group are extinct. The egg-laying monotremes are known from fossils of the Cretaceous and Cenozoic periods; they are represented today by the platypus and four species of echidna. The names Prototheria, Metatheria, and Eutheria (loosely meaning "first beasts", "changed beasts", and "true beasts", respectively) refer to the three mammalian groupings of which we have living representatives. Each of the three may be defined as a total clade containing a living crown-group (respectively the Monotremata, Marsupialia and Placentalia) plus a ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
