Multituberculata
Encyclopedia
The Multituberculata were a group of rodent-like mammal
s that existed for approximately one hundred and twenty million years—the longest fossil history of any mammal lineage—but were eventually outcompeted by rodents, becoming extinct during the early Oligocene
. At least 200 species are known, ranging from mouse-sized to beaver-sized. These species occupied a diversity of ecological niches, ranging from burrow-dwelling to squirrel-like arborealism. Multituberculates are usually placed outside either of the two main groups of living mammals—Theria
, including placentals and marsupial
s, and Monotremata—but some cladistic
analyses put them closer to Theria than to monotremes.
, or perhaps even the Triassic
, survived the mass extinction in the Cretaceous
, and became extinct in the early Oligocene
epoch
, some 35 million years ago.
), but there are some records, many of which are controversial, from the southern continents (Gondwana
). The group Gondwanatheria
, known from Argentina, Antarctica, Madagascar, India, and possibly Tanzania, has been referred to the order in the past, but this placement is currently controversial. Two genera, Hahnodon
and Denisodon, are known from the Early Cretaceous
of Morocco, but they may be haramiyida
ns instead. Multituberculates have also been recorded from the Late Cretaceous of Madagascar and Argentina, but this material has not been described in detail. An Australian multituberculate, Corriebaatar
, is known from a single tooth.
In the late Cretaceous multituberculates were widespread and diverse in the northern hemisphere, making up more than half of the mammal species of typical faunas. Although some lineages became extinct during the faunal turnover at the end of the Cretaceous, multituberculates managed very successfully to cross the K/T boundary and reached their peak of diversity during the Paleocene. They were an important component of nearly all Paleocene faunas of Europe
and North America
, and of some late Paleocene faunas of Asia. Multituberculates also were most diverse in size during the Paleocene, ranging from the size of a very small mouse
to that of a beaver
.
). Each cheek-tooth displayed several rows of small cusps (or tubercle
s, hence the name) that operated against similar rows in the teeth of the jaw. As in modern rodents, this masticatory apparatus formed an efficient chopping device.
During the Cretaceous and Paleocene the multituberculates radiated
into a wide variety of morphotypes, including the squirrel-like arboreal ptilodonts
. The peculiar shape of their last lower premolar
is their most outstanding feature. These teeth were larger and more elongated than the other cheek-teeth and had an occlusive
surface forming a serrated slicing blade. Though it can be assumed that this was used for crushing seeds and nuts, it is believed that most small multituberculates also supplemented their diet with insects, worms, and fruits.
A ptilodont that throve in North America was Ptilodus
. Thanks to the well-preserved Ptilodus specimens found in the Bighorn Basin
, Wyoming
, we know that these multituberculates were able to abduct and adduct
their big toes
, and thus that their foot mobility was similar to that of modern squirrels which descend trees head first.
In Europe another family of multituberculates were equally successful—the Kogaionidae
, first discovered in Haţeg
, Romania
. They also developed an enlarged blade-like lower premolar and the Hainina
, the most successful genus, was originally believed to be a ptilodont. However, more detailed analysis of this genus revealed a smaller number of dental cusps and a retained fifth premolar—a unique combination of primitive and advanced features indicating that Hainina were related to some Jurassic genera and that enlarged, blade-like premolar were acquired independently in Europe and North America.
Another group of multituberculates, the taeniolabids
, were heavier and more massively built and could reach the size of a modern beaver; indicating they lived a fully terrestrial life. They reached their highest diversity in Asia during the late Cretaceous and Paleocene, which suggests they originated from there.
The structure of the pelvis
in the Multituberculata suggests that they gave birth to tiny helpless young, similar to modern marsupial
s.
About 80 genera
of Multituberculata are known, including Lambdopsalis
, Ptilodus
and Meniscoessus
. In the northern hemisphere during the late Cretaceous, more than half of typical land mammalian species were multituberculates.
and Hurum
found that most multituberculates could be referred to two suborders: Plagiaulacida
and Cimolodonta
. The exception is the genus Arginbaatar
, which shares characteristics with both groups.
"Plagiaulacida" is paraphyletic
, representing the more primitive evolutionary grade
. Its members are the more basal Multituberculata. Chronologically, they ranged from perhaps the middle Jurassic (unnamed material), until the lower Cretaceous
. This group is further subdivided into three informal groupings: the Allodontid line, the Paulchoffatiid line, and the Plagiaulacid line.
Cimolodonta
is apparently a natural (monophyletic) suborder. This includes the more derived Multituberculata, which have been identified from the lower Cretaceous to the Eocene
. Recognized are the superfamilies Djadochtatherioidea
, Taeniolabidoidea
, Ptilodontoidea
and the Paracimexomys group
.
Additionally, there are the families Cimolomyidae
, Boffiidae
, Eucosmodontidae
, Kogaionidae
, Microcosmodontidae
and the two genera Uzbekbaatar
and Viridomys
. More precise placement of these types awaits further discoveries and analysis.
Mammal
Mammals are members of a class of air-breathing vertebrate animals characterised by the possession of endothermy, hair, three middle ear bones, and mammary glands functional in mothers with young...
s that existed for approximately one hundred and twenty million years—the longest fossil history of any mammal lineage—but were eventually outcompeted by rodents, becoming extinct during the early Oligocene
Oligocene
The Oligocene is a geologic epoch of the Paleogene Period and extends from about 34 million to 23 million years before the present . As with other older geologic periods, the rock beds that define the period are well identified but the exact dates of the start and end of the period are slightly...
. At least 200 species are known, ranging from mouse-sized to beaver-sized. These species occupied a diversity of ecological niches, ranging from burrow-dwelling to squirrel-like arborealism. Multituberculates are usually placed outside either of the two main groups of living mammals—Theria
Theria
Theria is a subclass of mammals that give birth to live young without using a shelled egg, including both eutherians and metatherians . The only omitted extant mammal group is the egg-laying monotremes....
, including placentals and marsupial
Marsupial
Marsupials are an infraclass of mammals, characterized by giving birth to relatively undeveloped young. Close to 70% of the 334 extant species occur in Australia, New Guinea, and nearby islands, with the remaining 100 found in the Americas, primarily in South America, but with thirteen in Central...
s, and Monotremata—but some cladistic
Cladistics
Cladistics is a method of classifying species of organisms into groups called clades, which consist of an ancestor organism and all its descendants . For example, birds, dinosaurs, crocodiles, and all descendants of their most recent common ancestor form a clade...
analyses put them closer to Theria than to monotremes.
History
The multituberculates existed for over 120 million years, and are often considered the most successful, diversified, and long-lasting mammals in natural history. They first appeared in the early JurassicJurassic
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...
, or perhaps even the Triassic
Triassic
The Triassic is a geologic period and system that extends from about 250 to 200 Mya . As the first period of the Mesozoic Era, the Triassic follows the Permian and is followed by the Jurassic. Both the start and end of the Triassic are marked by major extinction events...
, survived the mass extinction in the Cretaceous
Cretaceous
The Cretaceous , derived from the Latin "creta" , usually abbreviated K for its German translation Kreide , is a geologic period and system from circa to million years ago. In the geologic timescale, the Cretaceous follows the Jurassic period and is followed by the Paleogene period of the...
, and became extinct in the early Oligocene
Oligocene
The Oligocene is a geologic epoch of the Paleogene Period and extends from about 34 million to 23 million years before the present . As with other older geologic periods, the rock beds that define the period are well identified but the exact dates of the start and end of the period are slightly...
epoch
Epoch (geology)
An epoch is a subdivision of the geologic timescale based on rock layering. In order, the higher subdivisions are periods, eras and eons. We are currently living in the Holocene epoch...
, some 35 million years ago.
Geographic distribution
Multituberculates are mostly known from the northern continents (LaurasiaLaurasia
In paleogeography, Laurasia was the northernmost of two supercontinents that formed part of the Pangaea supercontinent from approximately...
), but there are some records, many of which are controversial, from the southern continents (Gondwana
Gondwana
In paleogeography, Gondwana , originally Gondwanaland, was the southernmost of two supercontinents that later became parts of the Pangaea supercontinent. It existed from approximately 510 to 180 million years ago . Gondwana is believed to have sutured between ca. 570 and 510 Mya,...
). The group Gondwanatheria
Gondwanatheria
Gondwanatheria is an extinct group of mammals that lived during the Upper Cretaceous through the Eocene in the Southern Hemisphere, including Antarctica...
, known from Argentina, Antarctica, Madagascar, India, and possibly Tanzania, has been referred to the order in the past, but this placement is currently controversial. Two genera, Hahnodon
Hahnodon
Hahnodon is a genus of extinct mammal of the Lower Cretaceous. It was a relatively early member of the also extinct order Multituberculata...
and Denisodon, are known from the Early Cretaceous
Early Cretaceous
The Early Cretaceous or the Lower Cretaceous , is the earlier or lower of the two major divisions of the Cretaceous...
of Morocco, but they may be haramiyida
Haramiyida
Haramiyidans seem to be the earliest known herbivores amongst basal mammals, assuming they are mammals. Their teeth, which are by far the most common remains, resemble those of the multituberculates...
ns instead. Multituberculates have also been recorded from the Late Cretaceous of Madagascar and Argentina, but this material has not been described in detail. An Australian multituberculate, Corriebaatar
Corriebaatar
Corriebaatar is the type and only genus of Corriebaataridae, a family of multituberculate mammals. It contains the single species Corriebaatar marywaltersae and represents the first evidence of Australian multituberculates Fossils date back to the Aptian stage of the Early Cretaceous....
, is known from a single tooth.
In the late Cretaceous multituberculates were widespread and diverse in the northern hemisphere, making up more than half of the mammal species of typical faunas. Although some lineages became extinct during the faunal turnover at the end of the Cretaceous, multituberculates managed very successfully to cross the K/T boundary and reached their peak of diversity during the Paleocene. They were an important component of nearly all Paleocene faunas of 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...
, and of some late Paleocene faunas of Asia. Multituberculates also were most diverse in size during the Paleocene, ranging from the size of a very small mouse
Mouse
A mouse is a small mammal belonging to the order of rodents. The best known mouse species is the common house mouse . It is also a popular pet. In some places, certain kinds of field mice are also common. This rodent is eaten by large birds such as hawks and eagles...
to that of a beaver
Beaver
The beaver is a primarily nocturnal, large, semi-aquatic rodent. Castor includes two extant species, North American Beaver and Eurasian Beaver . Beavers are known for building dams, canals, and lodges . They are the second-largest rodent in the world...
.
Biology
The multituberculates had a cranial and dental anatomy similar to rodents with cheek-teeth separated from the chisel-like front teeth by a wide tooth-less gap (the diastemeDiastema (dentistry)
Diastema is a space or gap between two teeth. Many species of mammals have diastemata as a normal feature, most commonly between the incisors and molars.-In humans:...
). Each cheek-tooth displayed several rows of small cusps (or tubercle
Tubercle
A tubercle is generally a wart-like projection, but it has slightly different meaning depending on which family of plants or animals it is used to refer to....
s, hence the name) that operated against similar rows in the teeth of the jaw. As in modern rodents, this masticatory apparatus formed an efficient chopping device.
During the Cretaceous and Paleocene the multituberculates radiated
Evolutionary radiation
An evolutionary radiation is an increase in taxonomic diversity or morphological disparity, due to adaptive change or the opening of ecospace. Radiations may affect one clade or many, and be rapid or gradual; where they are rapid, and driven by a single lineage's adaptation to their environment,...
into a wide variety of morphotypes, including the squirrel-like arboreal ptilodonts
Ptilodontidae
Ptilodontidae is a family of primitive mammals within the extinct order Multituberculata. Representatives are known from the Upper Cretaceous and Paleocene of North America....
. The peculiar shape of their last lower premolar
Premolar
The premolar teeth or bicuspids are transitional teeth located between the canine and molar teeth. In humans, there are two premolars per quadrant, making eight premolars total in the mouth. They have at least two cusps. Premolars can be considered as a 'transitional tooth' during chewing, or...
is their most outstanding feature. These teeth were larger and more elongated than the other cheek-teeth and had an occlusive
Occlusion (dentistry)
Occlusion, in a dental context, means simply the contact between teeth. More technically, it is the relationship between the maxillary and mandibular teeth when they approach each other, as occurs during chewing or at rest....
surface forming a serrated slicing blade. Though it can be assumed that this was used for crushing seeds and nuts, it is believed that most small multituberculates also supplemented their diet with insects, worms, and fruits.
A ptilodont that throve in North America was Ptilodus
Ptilodus
Ptilodus is a genus of mammals from the extinct order of Multituberculata, and lived during the Paleocene in North America.Ptilodus was a relatively large multituberculate of in length, which is about the same size as a squirrel...
. Thanks to the well-preserved Ptilodus specimens found in the Bighorn Basin
Bighorn Basin
The Bighorn Basin is a plateau region and intermontane basin, approximately 100 miles wide, in north-central Wyoming in the United States. It is bounded by the Absaroka Range on the west, the Bighorn Mountains on the east, and the Owl Creek Mountains and Bridger Mountains on the south...
, Wyoming
Wyoming
Wyoming is a state in the mountain region of the Western United States. The western two thirds of the state is covered mostly with the mountain ranges and rangelands in the foothills of the Eastern Rocky Mountains, while the eastern third of the state is high elevation prairie known as the High...
, we know that these multituberculates were able to abduct and adduct
Anatomical terms of motion
The movement of body structures is accomplished by the contraction of muscles. Muscles may move parts of the skeleton relatively to each other, or may move parts of internal organs relatively to each other. All such movements are classified by the directions in which the affected structures are moved...
their big toes
Hallux
In tetrapods, the hallux is the innermost toe of the foot. Despite its name it may not be the longest toe on the foot of some individuals...
, and thus that their foot mobility was similar to that of modern squirrels which descend trees head first.
In Europe another family of multituberculates were equally successful—the Kogaionidae
Kogaionidae
Kogaionidae is a family of fossil mammals within the extinct order Multituberculata. Representatives are known from the upper Cretaceous and the Paleocene of Europe. This family is part of the suborder Cimolodonta. Other than that, their systematic relationships are hard to define.These small...
, first discovered in Haţeg
Hateg
Hațeg is a town in Hunedoara County, Romania with a population of 12,507. Three villages are administered by the town: Nălațvad, Silvașu de Jos and Silvașu de Sus.Țara Hațegului is the region around Hațeg town...
, Romania
Romania
Romania is a country located at the crossroads of Central and Southeastern Europe, on the Lower Danube, within and outside the Carpathian arch, bordering on the Black Sea...
. They also developed an enlarged blade-like lower premolar and the Hainina
Hainina
Hainina is an extinct mammal genus from the Upper Cretaceous to the Paleocene of Europe. Though small, it outsurvived the final dinosaurs.- Genus :...
, the most successful genus, was originally believed to be a ptilodont. However, more detailed analysis of this genus revealed a smaller number of dental cusps and a retained fifth premolar—a unique combination of primitive and advanced features indicating that Hainina were related to some Jurassic genera and that enlarged, blade-like premolar were acquired independently in Europe and North America.
Another group of multituberculates, the taeniolabids
Taeniolabidoidea
Taeniolabidoidea is a group of extinct mammals known from North America and Asia. They were the largest members of the also extinct order Multituberculata. Lambdopsalis even provides direct fossil evidence of mammalian fur in a fairly good state of preservation for a 60-million-year-old animal...
, were heavier and more massively built and could reach the size of a modern beaver; indicating they lived a fully terrestrial life. They reached their highest diversity in Asia during the late Cretaceous and Paleocene, which suggests they originated from there.
The structure of the pelvis
Pelvis
In human anatomy, the pelvis is the lower part of the trunk, between the abdomen and the lower limbs .The pelvis includes several structures:...
in the Multituberculata suggests that they gave birth to tiny helpless young, similar to modern marsupial
Marsupial
Marsupials are an infraclass of mammals, characterized by giving birth to relatively undeveloped young. Close to 70% of the 334 extant species occur in Australia, New Guinea, and nearby islands, with the remaining 100 found in the Americas, primarily in South America, but with thirteen in Central...
s.
About 80 genera
Genus
In biology, a genus is a low-level taxonomic rank used in the biological classification of living and fossil organisms, which is an example of definition by genus and differentia...
of Multituberculata are known, including Lambdopsalis
Lambdopsalis
Lambdopsalis is a genus of mammal from the Paleocene of China. This animal was a relatively large member of the extinct order Multituberculata. It is placed within the suborder Cimolodonta and is a member of the superfamily Taeniolabidoidea....
, Ptilodus
Ptilodus
Ptilodus is a genus of mammals from the extinct order of Multituberculata, and lived during the Paleocene in North America.Ptilodus was a relatively large multituberculate of in length, which is about the same size as a squirrel...
and Meniscoessus
Meniscoessus
Meniscoessus is a genus of extinct mammal from the Upper Cretaceous Period of what is now North America. It lived toward the end of the "age of the dinosaurs" and was a member of the extinct order Multituberculata. It lies within the suborder Cimolodonta and family Cimolomyidae.The genus...
. In the northern hemisphere during the late Cretaceous, more than half of typical land mammalian species were multituberculates.
Groups within Multituberculata
In their 2001 study, Kielan-JaworowskaZofia Kielan-Jaworowska
Zofia Kielan-Jaworowska is a Polish paleobiologist. In the mid-1960s Kielan-Jaworowska led a series of Polish-Mongolian paleontological expeditions to the Gobi Desert...
and Hurum
Jørn Hurum
Jørn Harald Hurum is a Norwegian paleontologist and popularizer of science. He is a vertebrate paleontologist and holds an Associate Professor position at the Natural History Museum of the University of Oslo. He has studied dinosaurs, primitive mammals and plesiosaurs.- Media :Hurum is known as a...
found that most multituberculates could be referred to two suborders: Plagiaulacida
Plagiaulacida
Plagiaulacida is a group of extinct multituberculate mammals. Multituberculates were among the most common mammals of the Mesozoic, "the age of the dinosaurs"...
and Cimolodonta
Cimolodonta
The Cimolodonta are a taxon of extinct mammals that lived from the Cretaceous to the Eocene. They were some of the more derived members of the extinct order Multituberculata. They probably lived something of a rodent-like existence until their ecological niche was assumed by true rodents...
. The exception is the genus Arginbaatar
Arginbaatar
Arginbaatar is a genus of extinct mammal from the Lower Cretaceous of Mongolia. It was a member of the Multituberculata, an order which is also extinct. It belongs to the family Arginbaataridae . The genus Arginbaatar was named by Trofimov B.A. in 1980...
, which shares characteristics with both groups.
"Plagiaulacida" is paraphyletic
Paraphyly
A group of taxa is said to be paraphyletic if the group consists of all the descendants of a hypothetical closest common ancestor minus one or more monophyletic groups of descendants...
, representing the more primitive evolutionary grade
Evolutionary grade
In alpha taxonomy, a grade refers to a taxon united by a level of morphological or physiological complexity. The term was coined by British biologist Julian Huxley, to contrast with clade, a strictly phylogenetic unit.-Definition:...
. Its members are the more basal Multituberculata. Chronologically, they ranged from perhaps the middle Jurassic (unnamed material), until the lower Cretaceous
Cretaceous
The Cretaceous , derived from the Latin "creta" , usually abbreviated K for its German translation Kreide , is a geologic period and system from circa to million years ago. In the geologic timescale, the Cretaceous follows the Jurassic period and is followed by the Paleogene period of the...
. This group is further subdivided into three informal groupings: the Allodontid line, the Paulchoffatiid line, and the Plagiaulacid line.
Cimolodonta
Cimolodonta
The Cimolodonta are a taxon of extinct mammals that lived from the Cretaceous to the Eocene. They were some of the more derived members of the extinct order Multituberculata. They probably lived something of a rodent-like existence until their ecological niche was assumed by true rodents...
is apparently a natural (monophyletic) suborder. This includes the more derived Multituberculata, which have been identified from the lower Cretaceous to the Eocene
Eocene
The Eocene Epoch, lasting from about 56 to 34 million years ago , is a major division of the geologic timescale and the second epoch of the Paleogene Period in the Cenozoic Era. The Eocene spans the time from the end of the Palaeocene Epoch to the beginning of the Oligocene Epoch. The start of the...
. Recognized are the superfamilies Djadochtatherioidea
Djadochtatherioidea
Djadochtatherioidea is a group of extinct mammals known from the upper Cretaceous of Central Asia. They were members of an also extinct order called Multituberculata. These were generally small, somewhat rodent-like creatures, who scurried around during the "age of the dinosaurs". Unusually for...
, Taeniolabidoidea
Taeniolabidoidea
Taeniolabidoidea is a group of extinct mammals known from North America and Asia. They were the largest members of the also extinct order Multituberculata. Lambdopsalis even provides direct fossil evidence of mammalian fur in a fairly good state of preservation for a 60-million-year-old animal...
, Ptilodontoidea
Ptilodontoidea
Ptilodontoidea is a group of extinct mammals from the Northern Hemisphere.They were generally small, somewhat rodent-like creatures of the extinct order Multituberculata.Some of these genera boast a great many species, though remains are generally sparse....
and the Paracimexomys group
Paracimexomys group
The Paracimexomys group is a loose grade of extinct mammals which are known from the Lower Cretaceous and possibly through to the Paleocene of North America.They were members of an also extinct order called Multituberculata....
.
Additionally, there are the families Cimolomyidae
Cimolomyidae
Cimolomyidae is a family of fossil mammal within the extinct order Multituberculata. Representatives are known from the Upper Cretaceous and the Paleocene of North America and perhaps Mongolia. The family is part of the suborder Cimolodonta. Other than that, their systematic relationships are hard...
, Boffiidae
Boffius
Boffius is a genus of mammal from the Paleocene of Europe. It is a member of the extinct order of Multituberculata. It lies within the suborder Cimolodonta and is the only known member of the family Boffiidae . The genus was named by Vianey-Liaud M. in 1979.The species Boffius splendidus is known...
, Eucosmodontidae
Eucosmodontidae
Eucosmodontidae is a poorly preserved family of fossil mammals within the extinct order Multituberculata. Representatives are known from strata dating from the Upper Cretaceous through the Lower Eocene of North America, as well as the Paleocene to Eocene of Europe. The family is part of the...
, Kogaionidae
Kogaionidae
Kogaionidae is a family of fossil mammals within the extinct order Multituberculata. Representatives are known from the upper Cretaceous and the Paleocene of Europe. This family is part of the suborder Cimolodonta. Other than that, their systematic relationships are hard to define.These small...
, Microcosmodontidae
Microcosmodontidae
Microcosmodontidae is a poorly preserved family of fossil mammals within the extinct order Multituberculata. Representatives are known from the Upper Cretaceous though the Lower Paleocene of North America. The family is part of the suborder Cimolodonta...
and the two genera Uzbekbaatar
Uzbekbaatar
Uzbekbaatar is a genus of extinct mammal from the Upper Cretaceous of Uzbekistan. It was a member of the extinct order Multituberculata within the suborder Cimolodonta, though its further affinities are unclear. The genus was named by Kielan-Jaworowska Z. and Nesov L.A...
and Viridomys
Viridomys
Viridomys is a genus of extinct mammal from the Upper Cretaceous of North America. It was a member of the extinct order of Multituberculata, and lived during the Mesozoic, also known as the "age of the dinosaurs." It's within the suborder of Cimolodonta, though its further affinities are...
. More precise placement of these types awaits further discoveries and analysis.
Taxonomy
Order †Multituberculata Cope, 1884- Suborder †PlagiaulacidaPlagiaulacidaPlagiaulacida is a group of extinct multituberculate mammals. Multituberculates were among the most common mammals of the Mesozoic, "the age of the dinosaurs"...
Simpson 1925- Family Incertae sedisIncertae sedis, is a term used to define a taxonomic group where its broader relationships are unknown or undefined. Uncertainty at specific taxonomic levels is attributed by , , and similar terms.-Examples:*The fossil plant Paradinandra suecica could not be assigned to any...
- Genus †GlirodonGlirodonGlirodon is a genus of extinct mammal from the Upper Jurassic. It was a relatively early member of the also-extinct order of Multituberculata, suborder "Plagiaulacida". These mammals lived in North America during the Mesozoic, also known as the "age of the dinosaurs".The genus Glirodon has been...
Engelmann & Callison, 2001
- Genus †Glirodon
- Family †PaulchoffatiidaePaulchoffatiidaePaulchoffatiidae is a family of extinct mammals that lived predominantly during the Upper Jurassic period, though a couple of genera are known from the earliest Cretaceous. Some undescribed fossils from the Middle Jurassic of England may represent earlier versions. Remains have been reported from...
Hahn, 1969- Subfamily †Paulchoffatiinae Hahn, 1971
- Subfamily †Kuehneodontinae Hahn, 1971
- Family †Hahnodontidae Sigogneau-Russell, 1991
- Family †PinheirodontidaePinheirodontidaePinheirodontidae is a poorly known family of fossil mammals within the order Multituberculata. Remains are known from the earliest Cretaceous of Europe, , but are so far restricted to teeth. These small plant-eaters lived during the "age of the dinosaurs"...
Hahn & Hahn, 1999 - Family †AllodontidaeAllodontidaeAllodontidae is a family of extinct mammal that lived in what is now North America during the Upper Jurassic period. Allodontids were members of the order Multituberculata. They were relatively early mammals and are within the informal suborder of "Plagiaulacida". The family was named by Othniel...
Marsh, 1889 - Family †Zofiabaataridae Bakker, 1992
- Family †PlagiaulacidaePlagiaulacidaePlagiaulacidae is a family of fossil mammals within the order Multituberculata. Remains are known from the Upper Jurassic of North America through the Lower Cretaceous of Europe...
Gill, 1872 - Family †EobaataridaeEobaataridaeEobaataridae is a family of fossil mammal within the order Multituberculata. Remains are known from the Lower Cretaceous of Europe and Asia. These herbivores thus lived during the Mesozoic era, also known as the "age of the dinosaurs". They were among the most derived representatives of the...
Kielan-Jaworowska, Dashzeveg & Trofimov, 1987 - Family †AlbionbaataridaeAlbionbaataridaeAlbionbaataridae is a family of small, extinct mammals within the order Multituberculata. Fossil remains are known from the Upper Jurassic and Lower Cretaceous of Europe and Asia. These herbivores lived their obscure lives during the Mesozoic, also known as the "age of the dinosaurs." They were...
Kielan-Jaworowska & Ensom, 1994
- Family Incertae sedis
- Suborder Incertae sedisIncertae sedis, is a term used to define a taxonomic group where its broader relationships are unknown or undefined. Uncertainty at specific taxonomic levels is attributed by , , and similar terms.-Examples:*The fossil plant Paradinandra suecica could not be assigned to any...
- Family †Arginbaataridae Hahn & Hahn, 1983
- Suborder †CimolodontaCimolodontaThe Cimolodonta are a taxon of extinct mammals that lived from the Cretaceous to the Eocene. They were some of the more derived members of the extinct order Multituberculata. They probably lived something of a rodent-like existence until their ecological niche was assumed by true rodents...
McKenna, 1975- Superfamily Incertae sedisIncertae sedis, is a term used to define a taxonomic group where its broader relationships are unknown or undefined. Uncertainty at specific taxonomic levels is attributed by , , and similar terms.-Examples:*The fossil plant Paradinandra suecica could not be assigned to any...
- Family Incertae sedisIncertae sedis, is a term used to define a taxonomic group where its broader relationships are unknown or undefined. Uncertainty at specific taxonomic levels is attributed by , , and similar terms.-Examples:*The fossil plant Paradinandra suecica could not be assigned to any...
- Genus? †AmeribaatarAmeribaatarAmeribaatar is an extinct mammal of the Late Cretaceous. It was a member of the also extinct order of Multituberculata. It lived in North America during the Mesozoic, also known as the "age of the dinosaurs". Whether it belongs to Plagiaulacida, Cimolodonta, or neither, is presently unclear...
Eaton & Cifelli, 2001 - Genus †PtilodusPtilodusPtilodus is a genus of mammals from the extinct order of Multituberculata, and lived during the Paleocene in North America.Ptilodus was a relatively large multituberculate of in length, which is about the same size as a squirrel...
(Marsh, 1889) Gidley, 1909 - Genus? †UzbekbaatarUzbekbaatarUzbekbaatar is a genus of extinct mammal from the Upper Cretaceous of Uzbekistan. It was a member of the extinct order Multituberculata within the suborder Cimolodonta, though its further affinities are unclear. The genus was named by Kielan-Jaworowska Z. and Nesov L.A...
Kielan-Jaworowska & Nesov, 1992 - ParacimexomysParacimexomys groupThe Paracimexomys group is a loose grade of extinct mammals which are known from the Lower Cretaceous and possibly through to the Paleocene of North America.They were members of an also extinct order called Multituberculata....
group Archibald, 1982
- Genus? †Ameribaatar
- Family †Boffidae Hahn & Hahn, 1983
- Family †CimolomyidaeCimolomyidaeCimolomyidae is a family of fossil mammal within the extinct order Multituberculata. Representatives are known from the Upper Cretaceous and the Paleocene of North America and perhaps Mongolia. The family is part of the suborder Cimolodonta. Other than that, their systematic relationships are hard...
Marsh, 1889 sensu Kielan-Jaworowska & Hurum, 2001
- Family Incertae sedis
- Superfamily †PtilodontoideaPtilodontoideaPtilodontoidea is a group of extinct mammals from the Northern Hemisphere.They were generally small, somewhat rodent-like creatures of the extinct order Multituberculata.Some of these genera boast a great many species, though remains are generally sparse....
Cope, 1887 sensu McKenna & Bell, 1997 e Kielan-Jaworowska & Hurum, 2001- Family Incertae sedisIncertae sedis, is a term used to define a taxonomic group where its broader relationships are unknown or undefined. Uncertainty at specific taxonomic levels is attributed by , , and similar terms.-Examples:*The fossil plant Paradinandra suecica could not be assigned to any...
- Genus NeoliotomusNeoliotomusNeoliotomus is a genus of North American mammal from the Paleocene. It existed in the age immediately following the extinction of the last dinosaurs and was a member of the extinct order Multituberculata. It lies within the suborder Cimolodonta and the superfamily Ptilodontoidea...
Jepsen, 1930
- Genus Neoliotomus
- Family †CimolodontidaeCimolodontidaeCimolodontidae is a family of fossil mammals within the extinct order Multituberculata. Representatives are known from the Upper Cretaceous and Paleocene of North America. There is some doubt as to whether Cimolodon is within this taxon. If not, the name of the family would still be valid...
Marsh, 1889 sensu Kielan-Jaworowska & Hurum, 2001 - Family †NeoplagiaulacidaeNeoplagiaulacidaeNeoplagiaulacidae is a family of mammal within the extinct order Multituberculata. Fossil remains are known from the Upper Cretaceous through the Eocene. Representatives have been found in North America, Europe and Asia....
Ameghino, 1890 [Ptilodontidae: Neoplagiaulacinae Ameghino, 1890 sensu McKenna & Bell, 1997] - Family †PtilodontidaePtilodontidaePtilodontidae is a family of primitive mammals within the extinct order Multituberculata. Representatives are known from the Upper Cretaceous and Paleocene of North America....
Cope, 1887 [Ptilodontidae: Ptilodontinae Cope, 1887 sensu McKenna & Bell, 1997] - Family †KogaionidaeKogaionidaeKogaionidae is a family of fossil mammals within the extinct order Multituberculata. Representatives are known from the upper Cretaceous and the Paleocene of Europe. This family is part of the suborder Cimolodonta. Other than that, their systematic relationships are hard to define.These small...
Rãdulescu & Samson, 1996 - Family †EucosmodontidaeEucosmodontidaeEucosmodontidae is a poorly preserved family of fossil mammals within the extinct order Multituberculata. Representatives are known from strata dating from the Upper Cretaceous through the Lower Eocene of North America, as well as the Paleocene to Eocene of Europe. The family is part of the...
Jepsen, 1940 sensu Kielan-Jaworowska & Hurum, 2001 [Eucosmodontidae: Eucosmodontinae Jepsen, 1940 sensu McKenna & Bell, 1997] - Family †MicrocosmodontidaeMicrocosmodontidaeMicrocosmodontidae is a poorly preserved family of fossil mammals within the extinct order Multituberculata. Representatives are known from the Upper Cretaceous though the Lower Paleocene of North America. The family is part of the suborder Cimolodonta...
Holtzman & Wolberg, 1977 [Eucosmodontidae: Microcosmodontinae Holtzman & Wolberg, 1977 sensu McKenna & Bell, 1997]
- Family Incertae sedis
- Superfamily †DjadochtatherioideaDjadochtatherioideaDjadochtatherioidea is a group of extinct mammals known from the upper Cretaceous of Central Asia. They were members of an also extinct order called Multituberculata. These were generally small, somewhat rodent-like creatures, who scurried around during the "age of the dinosaurs". Unusually for...
Kielan-Jaworowska & Hurum, 1997 sensu Kielan-Jaworowska & Hurum, 2001[Djadochtatheria Kielan-Jaworowska & Hurum, 1997]- Family Incertae sedisIncertae sedis, is a term used to define a taxonomic group where its broader relationships are unknown or undefined. Uncertainty at specific taxonomic levels is attributed by , , and similar terms.-Examples:*The fossil plant Paradinandra suecica could not be assigned to any...
- Genus? †BulganbaatarBulganbaatarBulganbaatar is a Central Asian mammal genus from the Upper Cretaceous. It existed in the company of dinosaurs. This animal was a member of the extinct order Multituberculata. It's within the suborder Cimolodonta and is a member of the superfamily Djadochtatherioidea. The genus Bulganbaatar was...
Kielan-Jaworowska, 1974 - Genus? †ChulsanbaatarChulsanbaatarChulsanbaatar is a genus of mammal from the Cretaceous of Mongolia. It lived during the Mesozoic, also known as the "age of the dinosaurs." This small creature was a member of the extinct order of Multituberculata and is within the suborder Cimolodonta. The genus Chulsanbaatar was named by...
Kielan-Jaworowska, 1974 - Genus †NemegtbaatarNemegtbaatarNemegtbaatar is a genus of mammal from the Upper Cretaceous Period of what is now Mongolia. It existed in the company of much larger dinosaurs, found together in the Nemegt Basin. This creature was a member of the extinct order Multituberculata...
Kielan-Jaworowska, 1974
- Genus? †Bulganbaatar
- Family †SloanbaataridaeSloanbaataridaeSloanbaataridae is a family of fossil mammals within the extinct order Multituberculata. Remains are known from the Upper Cretaceous of Mongolia. These small herbivores lived during the "age of the dinosaurs". This family is part of the suborder Cimolodonta. The family Sloanbaataridae was named by...
Kielan-Jaworowska, 1974 - Family †DjadochtatheriidaeDjadochtatheriidaeDjadochtatheriidae is a family of fossil mammals within the extinct order Multituberculata. Remains are known from the Upper Cretaceous of Central Asia. These animals lived during the Mesozoic, also known as the "age of the dinosaurs." This family is part of the suborder of Cimolodonta. The taxon...
Kielan-Jaworowska $ Hurum, 1997
- Family Incertae sedis
- Superfamily †TaeniolabidoideaTaeniolabidoideaTaeniolabidoidea is a group of extinct mammals known from North America and Asia. They were the largest members of the also extinct order Multituberculata. Lambdopsalis even provides direct fossil evidence of mammalian fur in a fairly good state of preservation for a 60-million-year-old animal...
Granger & Simpson, 1929 sensu Kielan-Jaworowska & Hurum, 2001- Family †Taeniolabididae Granger & Simpson, 1929
- Superfamily Incertae sedis