Planetetherium
Extinct genus of mammals
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
Planetetherium is an extinct genus of herbivorous gliding mammal endemic to North America during the Paleogene living from 56.8 to 55.4 mya, existing for approximately 1.4 million years.[1]
| Planetetherium Temporal range: | |
|---|---|
Scientific classification  | |
| Kingdom: | Animalia |
| Phylum: | Chordata |
| Class: | Mammalia |
| Order: | Dermoptera |
| Family: | †Plagiomenidae |
| Genus: | †Planetetherium Simpson, 1928 |
| Species: | †P. mirabile |
| Binomial name | |
| †Planetetherium mirabile Simpson, 1928 | |
Fossils have been discovered in strata formed from ancient cypress forests, suggesting that this was the animal's preferred habitat.
Morphology
Plantetherium is estimated to reach around 25 centimetres (10 in) in length, and its known materials closely resembled that of its modern relatives. Its teeth already included the comb-like structure distinctive to modern colugos. Since no postcranial materials have been described for any plagiomenid,[2] there is no direct evidence that Planetetherium had the membrane of skin that allows modern colugos to glide, but this was likely the case.[3]
