- Vincelestes
Taxobox
name = "Vincelestes"
fossil_range =Early Cretaceous
regnum =Animalia
phylum =Chordata
classis =Synapsida
ordo =Therapsida
familia = "Vincelestidea"
genus = "Vincelestes"
species = "V. neuquenianus"
binomial = "Vincelestes neuquenianus"
binomial_authority =J. F. Bonaparte ,1986 "Vincelestes" (Vince’s thief') is a genus of pre-mammal of the
Early Cretaceous Period from the area that is now known asSouth America . "Vincelestes Neuquenianus" is the only species known to date. Specimens that date to between 140 and 130 million years ago were found atLa Amarga Formation of southern Neuquén Province,Argentina . Only nine individuals were recovered from this site.The back teeth of Vincelestes were similar to those of
therian s in that they were capable of cutting and grinding. This enabled them to process food more efficiently. Although not the direct ancestor of therians, Vincelestes is important because it gives us an idea of what the ancestor of bothplacental andmarsupial mammals might have looked like, and also gives an indication of when these mammals may have originated.References
* Turner A. (2004). National Geographic Prehistoric Mammals. Firecrest Books Ltd., p 46
* Kielan-Jaworowska Z., Cifelli R. & Luo Z. (2004). Mammals from the Age of Dinosaurs: Origins, Evolution, and Structure. Columbia University Press, p 399.External links
* [http://digimorph.org/specimens/Vincelestes_neuquenianus/ View skull of Vincelestes]
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