Albertatherium
Extinct genus of mammals
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Albertatherium (meaning "beast of Alberta") is an extinct genus of alphadontid metatherians that lived during the Late Cretaceous of North America. The genus contains two species, Albertatherium primus (the type species), and Albertatherium secundus. Fossils have been found in the Eagle Formation of Montana and the Milk River Formation of Alberta.[1][2]
| Albertatherium Temporal range: Late Cretaceous, | |
|---|---|
Scientific classification  | |
| Kingdom: | Animalia |
| Phylum: | Chordata |
| Class: | Mammalia |
| Family: | †Alphadontidae |
| Genus: | †Albertatherium Fox, 1971 |
| Type species | |
| †Albertatherium primus Fox, 1971 | |
| Species | |
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Taxonomy
Albertatherium is a member of the Alphadontidae, an extinct family of metatherians closely related to marsupials. Recent phylogenetic studies group it with other northern non-marsupial metatherians such as Alphadon and Turgidodon.[3][4] A 2016 phylogenetic analysis is shown below.[5]
| Marsupialiformes |
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