Horolodectes

<i>Horolodectes</i>

Horolodectes

Extinct genus of mammals

Horolodectes sunae is a prehistoric eutherian mammal species from the Late Paleocene of northern Alberta, Canada. The generic name means "hourglass biter" in Greek in direct reference of the hourglass-shape of its teeth.

Quick Facts Horolodectes Temporal range: Late Paleocene, Scientific classification ...

Horolodectes, along with the slightly older genus Ferrequitherium, belongs to the family Horolodectidae.[1]

Description

The dentition of Horolodectes comprises trenchant, posteriorly leaning premolars and comparatively primitive molars, which indicate a masticatory cycle that consisted primarily of shearing and, to a lesser degree, horizontal grinding.[2]

References

  1. [1]
    Craig S. Scott (2018). "Horolodectidae: a new family of unusual eutherians (Mammalia: Theria) from the Palaeocene of Alberta, Canada". Zoological Journal of the Linnean Society. in press. doi:10.1093/zoolinnean/zly040.
  2. [2]
    Scott C.S, Webb M.W. and Fox R.C. (2005). "Horolodectes sunae, an enigmatic mammal from the Late Paleocene of Alberta, Canada". Journal of Paleontology: 1009–1025.


Stub icon

This prehistoric mammal-related article is a stub. You can help Wikipedia by expanding it.
Share this article:

This article uses material from the Wikipedia article Horolodectes, and is written by contributors. Text is available under a CC BY-SA 4.0 International License; additional terms may apply. Images, videos and audio are available under their respective licenses.