Oxlestes
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Oxlestes Temporal range: Late Cretaceous, 93 Ma |
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| Scientific classification | |
| Kingdom: | Animalia |
| Phylum: | Chordata |
| Class: | Mammalia |
| Clade: | Eutheria |
| Genus: |
†Oxlestes Nessov et al., 1982 |
| Type species | |
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†Oxlestes grandis Nessov et al., 1982 |
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Oxlestes is an extinct mammal from the Late Cretaceous of Asia, more specifically from the Cenomanian of Uzbekistan. A carnivorous species of uncertain affinities, it is notable for its relatively large size, being among the largest of all Mesozoic mammals. Due to the limited amount of material, it has been considered a nomen dubium.
Oxlestes is currently a monotypic genus, containing a single species, O. grandis. Its specimens were recovered in the Cenomanian-aged Khodzhakul Formation of Uzbekistan. The holotype, CCMGE 6/11758, is composed of an axis vertebra, dentaries, canine teeth and a sagittal crest.
The axis is relatively narrow, with a long, pointed anterior process. There are two pairs of distinct foramina anterior and posterior to the dorsal transverse suture; modern placentals only bear one. It is about 1.9 centimeters long.
The dentaries are short and robust, with a convex central border. The masseteric fossa is deep, and the canine is long and deep. The skull has been suggested to be about 10 centimeters long; one axis and dentary comparison to zhelestids and rabbits would make it somewhat smaller at 7.5 centimeters, though this has since been contested.
Overall, the available proportions seem to indicate an animal comparable in size to the largest of modern mustelids and mid-sized felines.
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