Eodelphis

Eodelphis
Temporal range: Late Cretaceous
Type specimen of Eodephis browni
Scientific classification
Kingdom: Animalia
Phylum: Chordata
Class: Mammalia
Infraclass: Marsupialia
Order: Ameridelphia
Family: Stagodontidae
Genus: Eodelphis
Matthew, 1916
Species

Eodephis browni
Eodelphis cutleri

Eodelphis (ee-o-DEL-fiss) meaning "early opossum" (Greek: eos = dawn + delphis = opossum) is a genus of stagodont marsupials from the Late Cretaceous of North America, with distinctive crushing dentition. Named species include E. browni and the more advanced E. cutleri. Both come from the Late Campanian (Judithian "Land Mammal Age") of Dinosaur Provincial Park, Alberta. Specimens are also known from the Judith River Formation of Montana. E. cutleri is related to the Maastrichtian genus Didelphodon as indicated by its enlarged premolars and more robust jaw. Eodelphis was probably a predator, and may have weighed about 0.6 kg (1.3 lb), making it one of the largest mammals of its time.

References