Taeniodonta

Taeniodonta ("banded teeth") is an extinct early group of cimolestid mammals known from the Maastrichtian to the Eocene. Taeniodonts evolved quickly into highly specialized digging animals, and varied greatly in size, from rat-sized to species as large as a bear. Later species developed prominent front teeth and huge claws for digging and rooting. Some genera, like Stylinodon, had ever-growing teeth.[2]

Taeniodonta
Temporal range: Late Cretaceous - Eocene[1]
Stylinodon mirus
Scientific classification Edit this classification
Domain: Eukaryota
Kingdom: Animalia
Phylum: Chordata
Class: Mammalia
Infraclass: Placentalia
Order: Taeniodonta
Cope, 1876
Families

Conoryctidae
Stylinodontidae

Two families belong to this group, Stylinodontidae and Conoryctidae. They were endemic to North America. The scarcity of taeniodont fossils can be explained by the fact that these animals probably lived in dry or arid climates unconductive to fossilization. Taeniodonts are unambiguously Eutherians, and part of Cimolesta; Cimolestes is the immediate outgroup to Taeniodonta.[3]

Taxonomy and phylogeny

From Thomas E. Williamson and Stephen L. Brusatte (2013):[4]

  • Suborder Taeniodonta
Taeniodonta

Alveugena

Schowalteria

Onychodectes

Conoryctidae

Conoryctella

Huerfanodon

Conoryctes

Stylinodontidae

Wortmania

Psittacotherium

Ectoganus

Stylinodon

Notes

References

  • Cox, Barry; Savage, R.J.G.; Gardiner, Brian; Dixon, Dougal (1988). "Early rooters and browsers". Macmillan Illustrated Encyclopedia of Dinosaurs and Prehistoric Animals. Macmillan London Limited. ISBN 978-0-333-48699-3.
  • McKenna, Malcolm C.; Bell, Susan K. (1997). Classification of Mammals Above the Species Level. New York: Columbia University Press. ISBN 978-0231110136. OCLC 37345734.
  • Rook, D.L.; Hunter, J.P. (2013). "Rooting Around the Eutherian Family Tree: the Origin and Relations of the Taeniodonta". Journal of Mammalian Evolution. 21: 1–17. doi:10.1007/s10914-013-9230-9. S2CID 17074668.
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