Zalambdalestes
Genus of shrew-like mammal from the Upper Cretaceous period
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
Zalambdalestes (meaning much-like-lambda robber) is an extinct genus of eutherian mammal known from the Upper Cretaceous in Mongolia.
| Zalambdalestes Temporal range: | |
|---|---|
 | |
| Zalambdalestes lechei skull and lower jaw, Museum of Evolution Warsaw | |
Scientific classification  | |
| Kingdom: | Animalia |
| Phylum: | Chordata |
| Class: | Mammalia |
| Order: | incertae sedis |
| Family: | †Zalambdalestidae |
| Genus: | †Zalambdalestes Gregory & Simpson, 1926 |
| Species | |
| |
Description
Zalambdalestes was a hopping animal with a long snout, long teeth, a small brain and large eyes. It was about 20 centimetres (7.9 in) long, with a head only 5 centimetres (2 in) long. It had strong front paws and even stronger rear ones, sharing specializations to saltation similar to those of modern rabbits.[1][2] It was most likely not a placental due to the presence of an epipubic bone,[1][3] It had a unique axis that allowed for rapid movements, and in life it might have had spines or bristly fur.[4]
Biology
Its diet was probably composed mainly of insects that it hunted in the forest undergrowth using its sharp, interlocking teeth.[5] A well-preserved series of cervical vertebrae, including the axis, but not the atlas, seem to suggest vermivory.[4] Unlike modern placental mammals, Zalambdalestes had an epipubic bone, meaning it was probably restricted reproductively in the same way as modern monotremes and marsupials,[1] though a study on multituberculate reproduction suggests early eutherians could give birth to well-developed young.[6] Its unique axis allowed for rapid movements to catch prey.[4]
