Paurodon
Extinct family of mammals
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
Paurodon is an extinct genus of Late Jurassic mammal from the Morrison Formation of the Western United States.
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| Paurodon Temporal range: Late Jurassic | |
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Scientific classification  | |
| Kingdom: | Animalia |
| Phylum: | Chordata |
| Class: | Mammalia |
| Order: | †Dryolestida |
| Family: | †Paurodontidae |
| Genus: | †Paurodon Marsh, 1887 |
| Species: | †P. valens |
| Binomial name | |
| †Paurodon valens Marsh, 1887 | |
| Synonyms | |
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Taxonomy
Paurodon is the type genus of the dryolestidan group Paurodontidae. Araeodon, Archaeotrigon, Foxraptor, and Pelicopsis are apparently growth stages of Paurodon.[1]
Distribution and stratigraphy
Remains of Paurodon have been found in stratigraphic zone 5 of the Morrison Formation in Como Bluff, Wyoming.[2]
Biology
Paurodon was strongly convergent with modern golden moles in terms of dentition and jaw shape. This suggests that its diet was composed of earthworms (unlike other contemporary dryolestidans, which were more insectivorous).[3]
