Gobiconodontidae

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Gobiconodontidae
Temporal range: 189–94 
Ma
Life restoration of Gobiconodon
Scientific classification Edit this classification
Domain: Eukaryota
Kingdom: Animalia
Phylum: Chordata
Class: Mammalia
Order: †Eutriconodonta (?)
Family: †Gobiconodontidae
Jenkins Jr. & Schaff, 1988
Genera

Gobiconodontidae is a

mammals that ranged from the mid-Jurassic to the early Late Cretaceous, though most common during the Early Cretaceous.[6] The Gobiconodontids form a diverse lineage of carnivorous non-therian
mammals, and include some of the best preserved Mesozoic mammal specimens.

Biology

Like many other non-

scutes and an ossified Meckel's cartilage. Furthermore, it may also display signs of dermatophytosis, suggesting that gobiconodontids, like modern mammals, were vulnerable to this type of fungal infection.[5]

Gobiconodontid dentition, being classically triconodont, has no analogue among living mammals, so comparisons are difficult. Like

triconodontids, occlusion happens by the molars essentially interlocking, with lower cusp "a" basically fitting between two upper molars.[6] Nonetheless, it's clear that most if not all gobiconodontids were primarily carnivorous, given the presence of long, sharp canines and incisors,[note 1] premolars with trenchant main cusps that were well suited to grasp and pierce prey, strong development of the mandibular abductor musculature, bone crushing ability in at least some species and several other features.[7]

Gobiconodontids are often among the largest mammals in Mesozoic faunal assemblages, with forms like Repenomamus and Gobiconodon exceeding 2 kilos. They were among the first mammals to be specialised to hunt vertebrate prey, and likely occupied the highest trophic levels among mammals in their faunal communities. Several forms like Gobiconodon and Repenomamus show evidence of scavenging, being among the few Mesozoic mammals to have significantly exploited that.[7] Evidence of predation on significantly larger dinosaurs is also known.[8]

At least in carnivorous niches, gobiconodontids were probably replaced by deltatheroidean metatherians, which are the dominant carnivorous mammals in Late Cretaceous faunal assemblages.[9] Competition between both groups is unattested, but in Asia the Early Cretaceous gobiconodontid diversity is replaced entirely by a deltatheroidean one, while in North America Nanocuris appears after the absence of Gobiconodon and other larger eutriconodonts.[10]

At least Spinolestes had xenarthrous vertebrae and osseous scutes, convergent to those of modern

echidnas, aardvark, aardwolf and numbat, being the second known Mesozoic mammal after Fruitafossor to have done so.[11]

Uniquely among crown-group mammals, gobiconodontids replaced their molariform teeth by successors of similar complexity, while in other mammals less complex replacements are the norm.[12]

Phylogeny

Cladogram after Marisol Montellano, James A. Hopson, James M. Clark (2008)[2] and Gao et al. (2010).[13]

 Gobiconodontidae

Notes

  1. ^ In Gobiconodon, the canine-like lower incisors outrightly replace the true canines, which are vestigial.[7]

References

  1. doi:10.19615/j.cnki.1000-3118.190724
    .
  2. ^
    S2CID 128782275
    .
  3. ^ a b J.; Hu, Y.-M.; Wang, Y.-Q.; Li, C.-K. (2005). "A new triconodont (Mammalia) from the Early Cretaceous Yixian Formation of Liaoning, China". Vertebrata PalAsiatica. 43 (1): 1–10.
  4. S2CID 129025369
    .
  5. ^
    S2CID 205245235
    .
  6. ^
    doi:10.4202/pp.2016.67_035 (inactive 31 January 2024).{{cite journal}}: CS1 maint: DOI inactive as of January 2024 (link
    )
  7. ^
    ISBN 978-0-231-11918-4
    .
  8. PMID 37464026
    .
  9. ISBN 978-0-231-11918-4
    .
  10. S2CID 6742591
    .
  11. S2CID 205245235
    .
  12. S2CID 225501396
    .
  13. PMID 19726475
    .
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