Docodon
Encyclopedia
Docodon was an omnivorous mammal from the middle to upper Jurassic
Period that lived in Europe
and North America
approximately 175.6 to 144 million years ago. Docodon likely inhabited woodland and stayed in trees out of the reach of predators. Weather Docodon was a true mammal is under debate, and some suggest it was an evolved therapsid or mammal like reptile
.
Docodon had complex teeth, which suggest it had a diverse diet. The dentition patterns of the cusps and other molars are complex and distinct and closely resemble that of mammals, but Docodon and other docodonts are only distantly related to living mammals.
It was first discovered by Othniel Charles Marsh in 1880. Like other early small mammals it is known only from fossilized teeth since the rest of the body did not fossilize as efficiently. Docodon fossils are found most commonly at the 'Morrison Formation of the Black Hills' and suggest a possible habitat preference.
Its height is estimated at 10 centimeters with a length of 4 inches and approximate weight of 1 once. A 2006 study by J. R. Foster concluded it is the most massive mammal genus of the formation.
Jurassic
The Jurassic is a geologic period and system that extends from about Mya to Mya, that is, from the end of the Triassic to the beginning of the Cretaceous. The Jurassic constitutes the middle period of the Mesozoic era, also known as the age of reptiles. The start of the period is marked by...
Period that lived in Europe
Europe
Europe is, by convention, one of the world's seven continents. Comprising the westernmost peninsula of Eurasia, Europe is generally 'divided' from Asia to its east by the watershed divides of the Ural and Caucasus Mountains, the Ural River, the Caspian and Black Seas, and the waterways connecting...
and North America
North America
North America is a continent wholly within the Northern Hemisphere and almost wholly within the Western Hemisphere. It is also considered a northern subcontinent of the Americas...
approximately 175.6 to 144 million years ago. Docodon likely inhabited woodland and stayed in trees out of the reach of predators. Weather Docodon was a true mammal is under debate, and some suggest it was an evolved therapsid or mammal like reptile
Reptile
Reptiles are members of a class of air-breathing, ectothermic vertebrates which are characterized by laying shelled eggs , and having skin covered in scales and/or scutes. They are tetrapods, either having four limbs or being descended from four-limbed ancestors...
.
Docodon had complex teeth, which suggest it had a diverse diet. The dentition patterns of the cusps and other molars are complex and distinct and closely resemble that of mammals, but Docodon and other docodonts are only distantly related to living mammals.
It was first discovered by Othniel Charles Marsh in 1880. Like other early small mammals it is known only from fossilized teeth since the rest of the body did not fossilize as efficiently. Docodon fossils are found most commonly at the 'Morrison Formation of the Black Hills' and suggest a possible habitat preference.
Its height is estimated at 10 centimeters with a length of 4 inches and approximate weight of 1 once. A 2006 study by J. R. Foster concluded it is the most massive mammal genus of the formation.
Species
- Genus Docodon
- Docodon victor
- Docodon affinis
- Docodon crassus
- Docodon straitus
- Docodon superus
See also
- Morrison FormationMorrison FormationThe Morrison Formation is a distinctive sequence of Late Jurassic sedimentary rock that is found in the western United States, which has been the most fertile source of dinosaur fossils in North America. It is composed of mudstone, sandstone, siltstone and limestone and is light grey, greenish...
- Mammals of the Morrison Formation