Paurodon is an extinct genus of Late Jurassic mammal from the Morrison Formation of the Western United States.
| Paurodon Temporal range: Late Jurassic | |
|---|---|
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Scientific classification  | |
| Domain: | Eukaryota |
| Kingdom: | Animalia |
| Phylum: | Chordata |
| Class: | Mammalia |
| Order: | †Dryolestida |
| Family: | †Paurodontidae |
| Genus: | †Paurodon Marsh, 1887 |
| Species: | †P. valens |
| Binomial name | |
| †Paurodon valens Marsh, 1887 | |
| Synonyms | |
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Taxonomy
Paurodon is the type genus of the dryolestidan group Paurodontidae. Araeodon, Archaeotrigon, Foxraptor, and Pelicopsis are apparently growth stages of Paurodon.[1]
Distribution and stratigraphy
Remains of Paurodon have been found in stratigraphic zone 5 of the Morrison Formation in Como Bluff, Wyoming.[2]
Biology
Paurodon was strongly convergent with modern golden moles in terms of dentition and jaw shape. This suggests that its diet was composed of earthworms (unlike other contemporary dryolestoids, which were more insectivorous)[3] and may have even been subterranean, like the more derived Necrolestes.
See also
References
- Foster, J. (2007). Jurassic West: The Dinosaurs of the Morrison Formation and Their World. Indiana University Press. 389pp.