- Sudamerica
Taxobox
name = "Sudamerica"
fossil_range =Paleocene
regnum =Animal ia
phylum =Chordata
classis =Mammal ia
subordo =Gondwanatheria
familia =Sudamericidae
genus = "Sudamerica"
genus_authority =Scillato-Yané &R. Pascual ,1984
species = "S. ameghinoi"
binomial = "Sudamerica ameghinoi"
binomial_authority = (Scillato-Yané &R. Pascual ,1984 )"Sudamerica", literally "
South America " in Spanish, is a genus ofmammal from the extinct suborderGondwanatheria that lived inPatagonia , South America during thePaleocene , just after the end of the "Age of Dinosaurs".Similar to "
Gondwanatherium ", this genus had high-crowned teeth, which are very useful for eatinggrass es. Since there is no evidence of grass in South America until later, they must also have been effective for other types of food.Classification
The
type specimen of "Sudamerica ameghinoi" was discovered inPunta Peligro ,Argentina in deposits dating to the Lower Paleocene period. In 1999, a near complete lower jaw (dentary ) was found.The genus and species were named by Scillato-Yané and R. Pascual in 1984. The genus is also known by the synonym "Sudamericana". The position of gondwanatherians within the class Mammalia is not yet clear.no
References
* Scillato-Yané, G.J. & Pascual, R.1985. Un peculiar Xenarthra del Paleoceno medio de Patagonia (Argentina). Su importancia en la sistemática de los Paratheria. Ameghiniana, 21: 316-318.
* Malcolm C. McKenna and Susan K. Bell. (1997) "Classification of Mammals Above the Species Level". Columbia University Press. (ISBN 0-231-11012-X)
* Much of this information has been derived from [http://home.arcor.de/ktdykes/gondwanatheria.htm MESOZOIC MAMMALS: Gondwanatheria] , an Internet directory.
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