| Adelobasileus Temporal range: Late Triassic |
|
|---|---|
| Scientific classification | |
| Kingdom: | Animalia |
| Phylum: | Chordata |
| Subphylum: | Vertebrata |
| (unranked): | Amniota |
| Class: | Synapsida |
| (unranked): | Mammaliaformes |
| Genus: | Adelobasileus |
| Species: | A. cromptoni |
| Binomial name | |
| Adelobasileus cromptoni Lucas & Hunt, 1990 |
|
Adelobasileus cromptoni is a species of an extinct genus of proto-mammals from the Late Triassic (Carnian), about 225 million years ago. It 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.