Zhangheotherium
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| Zhangheotherium Fossil range: Early Cretaceous |
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 Zhangheotherium quinquecuspidens fossil displayed in Hong Kong Science Museum.
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| Zhangheotherium quinquecuspidens Hu, Wang, Luo & Li, 1997 |
Zhangheotherium is a genus of symmetrodont, an extinct order of mammals. Previously known from only the tall pointed crowned teeth, Zhangheotherium, described from Liaoning Province, China, fossils in 1997, is the first symmetrodont known from a complete skeleton. It was dated to between 145-125 million years ago in the Cretaceous. A single species, Zhangheotherium quinquecuspidens, is presently known.
Symmetrodonts and other archaic mammals such as multituberculates and monotremes are still being debated on their taxonomical relationships. Zhangheotherium has many primitive characteristics. Among them is a venomous spur at the foot, seen today in the modern platypus. In addition, it walked with a reptilian sprawl, not at all like our known mammals but instead like many Mesozoic mammals, like Jeholodens and Repenomamus.
The specimen GMV 2124 of the feathered dinosaur Sinosauropteryx prima contained 2 jaws of Zhangheotherium in its stomach region (Hurum et al. 2006). Thus, it seems to have preyed on this primitive mammal, possibly on a regular basis.
[edit] References
- Hurum, Jørn H.; Luo, Zhe-Xi & Kielan-Jaworowska, Zofia (2006): Were mammals originally venomous? Acta Palaeontologica Polonica 51(1): 1–11.PDF fulltext
