Adelobasileus cromptoni
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| Adelobasileus cromptoni Lucas & Hunt, 1990 |
Adelobasileus cromptoni is a species of an extinct genus of proto-mammals from the middle Triassic, about 225 million years ago. It is poorly represented in the fossil record and is known only from a partial skull recovered from the Tecovas formation in western Texas.
Adelobasileus predates the most advanced non-mammalian cynodonts (tritylodonta and trithelodonta) and all other known Mammaliaformes by 10 million years. In fact, distinct cranial features, especially the housing of the cochlea, suggest that Adelobasileus is a transitional form in the character transformation from cynodonts to Triassic mammals. For this reason, it is thought to be the common ancestor of all modern mammals or a close relative of the common ancestor.
[edit] References
- S.G. Lucas and Z. Lou, Adelobasileus from the upper Triassic of west Texas: the oldest mammal, J. Vert. Paleont, 1993.
[edit] External links
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