Brasilitherium
|
Brasilitherium Temporal range: Late Triassic, 240–200 Ma |
|
|---|---|
 |
|
| Life restoration of Brasilitherium riograndensis | |
| Scientific classification | |
| Kingdom: | Animalia |
| Phylum: | Chordata |
| Order: | Therapsida |
| Suborder: | Cynodontia |
| Family: | †Brasilodontidae |
| Genus: |
†Brasilitherium Martinelli and Schultz, 2003 |
| Type species | |
|
†Brasilitherium riograndensis Martinelli and Schultz, 2003 |
|
Brasilitherium ("Brazilian beast") is a genus of cynodont that lived during the Late Triassic in what is now Brazil. The etymology is from Brazil and therium means mammal in Greek, therefore Brasilitherium means mammal from Brazil. Its length was approximately 12 cm and it weighed 20 grams. It fed on insects, making it an insectivore. Brasilitherium was found in Paleorrota (Caturrita Formation), a geopark located in Brazil. Brasilitherium represents a transition between advanced cynodonts and mammals, having features of both and having early evolution of certain mammalian features such as the nasal cavity and hearing.
The discovery was part of the Caturrita Formation, where the rock was made up of two different layers, lower layers being sandstone and upper layers being mudstone. This specific taxon was found in the fine sandstone layer in the middle. The fossils were found in outcrops, and due to the different layers, it is suggested that there was a river, and this area experienced both gravitational flows as well as peak flows. Gravitational flow would be a type of flow due to gravity, where as peak flows would be due to specific events that experienced a high amount of flow causing an event.
Brasilitherium was discovered in Rio Grande do Sul in Southern Brazil, work initiated by the Museu de Ciencias Naturals of the Fundacao Zoobotanica of Porto Alegre. Brasilitherium is part of the Brasilodontidae family, and was found in the middle to late triassic. The family of Brasilodontidae was found in Argentina, India, and Brazil, where Brasilitherium was found. Brasilitherium is thought to be a transitional species between cynodonts and the earliest mammals.
The skull of the Brasilitherium is about 21mm in length. The dentary bone in the skull is more slender than in previous ancestors, as well as a slightly smaller skull in general.The genera Brasilodon is different from Brasilitherium due to the lower post canines as well as the pre orbital.
...
Wikipedia