1. A large therian mammal from the Late Cretaceous of South America.
- Author
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Chimento, Nicolás R., Agnolín, Federico L., García-Marsà, Jordi, Manabe, Makoto, Tsuihiji, Takanobu, and Novas, Fernando E.
- Subjects
MAMMALS ,BODY size ,SAURISCHIA ,MARSUPIALS ,CENOZOIC Era ,HINDLIMB - Abstract
Theria represent an extant clade that comprises placental and marsupial mammals. Here we report on the discovery of a new Late Cretaceous mammal from southern Patagonia, Patagomaia chainko gen. et sp. nov., represented by hindlimb and pelvic elements with unambiguous therian features. We estimate Patagomaia chainko attained a body mass of 14 kg, which is considerably greater than the 5 kg maximum body mass of coeval Laurasian therians. This new discovery demonstrates that Gondwanan therian mammals acquired large body size by the Late Cretaceous, preceding their Laurasian relatives, which remained small-bodied until the beginning of the Cenozoic. Patagomaia supports the view that the Southern Hemisphere was a cradle for the evolution of modern mammalian clades, alongside non-therian extinct groups such as meridiolestidans, gondwanatherians and monotremes. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]
- Published
- 2024
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