Zalambdalestes
| Zalambdalestes Temporal range: Late Cretaceous | |
|---|---|
 | |
| Zalambdalestes lechei skull and lower jaw, Museum of Evolution Warsaw. | |
| Scientific classification | |
| Kingdom: | Animalia |
| Phylum: | Chordata |
| Class: | Mammalia |
| Infraclass: | Eutheria |
| Superorder: | †Anagalida? |
| Family: | †Zalambdalestidae |
| Genus: | Zalambdalestes Gregory & Simpson, 1926 |
| Species | |
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Zalambdalestes (meaning much-like-lambda robber) was a eutherian mammal, perhaps a placental,[1] living during the Upper Cretaceous in Mongolia.
Life restoration of Zalambdalestes lechei
Zalambdalestes was a shrew-like animal with a long snout, long teeth, a small brain and large eyes. It was about 20 centimetres (7.9 in) long, with a head only 5 centimetres (2 in) long. It had strong front paws and even stronger rear ones, but its claws were not opposable, so it is unlikely to have climbed trees. Its diet was probably composed mainly of insects that it hunted in the forest undergrowth using its sharp, interlocking teeth.[2]
References
- Parker, Steve. Dinosaurs: the complete guide to dinosaurs. Firefly Books Inc, 2003. Pg. 402
- ↑ Dykes, Kevin T. "Mesozoic Mammals; Zalambdalestidae, Lipotyphla?, Cimolestidae and Cretaceous Taeniodonta". Mesozoic Eucynodonts. Retrieved March 23, 2013.
- ↑ Palmer, D., ed. (1999). The Marshall Illustrated Encyclopedia of Dinosaurs and Prehistoric Animals. London: Marshall Editions. p. 201. ISBN 1-84028-152-9.
Further reading
- Wible, J. R., Novacek, M. J., & Rougier, G. W. (2004). New data on the skull and dentition in the Mongolian Late Cretaceous eutherian mammal Zalambdalestes. Bulletin Of The American Museum Of Natural History 281, 1-144.