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Highly specialized mammalian skulls from the Late Cretaceous of South America

Author

Listed:
  • Guillermo W. Rougier

    (University of Louisville)

  • Sebastián Apesteguía

    (CEBBAD - Fundación de Historia Natural ‘Félix de Azara’, Universidad Maimónides, Hidalgo 775
    CONICET, Consejo Nacional de Investigaciones Científicas y Técnicas. Av. Rivadavia 1917, C1033AAJ)

  • Leandro C. Gaetano

    (CONICET, Consejo Nacional de Investigaciones Científicas y Técnicas. Av. Rivadavia 1917, C1033AAJ
    Facultad de Ciencias Exactas y Naturales, Universidad de Buenos Aires, Ciudad Universitaria, Pabellón II, C1428EHA)

Abstract

A new look at South American mammals The first mammalian remains from the early Late Cretaceous of South America are reported, including two partial skulls and jaws of a highly derived dryolestoid. The dryolestoids are primitive, extinct mammals on the stem-lineage leading to marsupials and placentals. They were especially diverse in the Mesozoic of South America, although they have hitherto been known only from teeth. The new find is a mouse-sized creature with big eyes, a long snout and long canines — rather like the 'sabre-toothed squirrel' in the 2002 film Ice Age. This creature opens a new window on to a largely unexplored period in the prehistory of South America.

Suggested Citation

  • Guillermo W. Rougier & Sebastián Apesteguía & Leandro C. Gaetano, 2011. "Highly specialized mammalian skulls from the Late Cretaceous of South America," Nature, Nature, vol. 479(7371), pages 98-102, November.
    • Handle: RePEc:nat:nature:v:479:y:2011:i:7371:d:10.1038_nature10591
    DOI: 10.1038/nature10591
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