Biology:Juramaia

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Short description: Extinct genus of late Jurassic basal eutherian mammal

Juramaia
Temporal range: Late Jurassic, 161–160 Ma
Juramaia NT.jpg
Restoration
Scientific classification e
Domain: Eukaryota
Kingdom: Animalia
Phylum: Chordata
Class: Mammalia
Clade: Eutheria
Genus: Juramaia
Luo et al., 2011
Species
  • J. sinensis Luo et al., 2011 (type)

Juramaia is an extinct genus of very basal eutherian mammal known from the Late Jurassic (Oxfordian stage) deposits of western Liaoning, China . It is a small shrew-like mammal with a body length of approximately 70–100 mm,[1][2] making it similar in size to the modern De Winton's shrew.[3] Juramaia is known from the holotype BMNH PM1343, an articulated and nearly complete skeleton including incomplete skull preserved with full dentition.

Discovery

It was collected in the Daxigou site, Jianchang, from the Tiaojishan Formation dated at about 160 million years ago.[4] It was first named by Zhe-Xi Luo, Chong-Xi Yuan, Qing-Jin Meng and Qiang Ji in 2011 and the type species is Juramaia sinensis.[5]

Evolution

The discovery of Juramaia provides new insight into the evolution of placental mammals by showing that their lineage diverged from that of the marsupials 35 million years earlier than previously thought.[5] Furthermore, its discovery fills gaps in the fossil record and helps to calibrate modern, DNA-based methods of dating the evolution.[6][7] Based on climbing adaptations found in the forelimb bones, it has been suggested that the basal stock of Eutheria was arboreal,[5] in a manner resembling that of modern rats.[8]

Classification

Metatheria

Sinodelphys szalayi

Cenozoic metatherian

Eutheria

Juramaia sinensis

Montanalestes keeblerorum

Murtoilestes abramovi

Eomaia scansoria

Prokennalestes trofimovi

Cenozoic placentalia

See also

References

  1. "Juramaia sinensis - 160-Million-Year-Old Fossil Pushes Back Mammal Evolution". http://esciencenews.com/sources/scientific.blogging/2011/08/24/juramaia.sinensis.160.million.year.old.fossil.pushes.back.mammal.evolution. 
  2. Welsh, Jennifer (24 August 2011). "Skinny 'Shrew' Is Oldest True Mammal". LiveScience. https://www.livescience.com/15734-oldest-placental-mammal.html. 
  3. Smith, Andrew T. (2010-04-23). A Guide to the Mammals of China. p. 308. ISBN 978-1400834112. https://books.google.com/books?id=ka-9f68nPT4C. 
  4. Chu, Z.; He, H.; Ramezani, J.; Bowring, S.A.; Hu, D.; Zhang, L.; Zheng, S.; Wang, X. et al. (2016). "High-precision U-Pb geochronology of the Jurassic Yanliao Biota from Jianchang (western Liaoning Province, China): Age constraints on the rise of feathered dinosaurs and eutherian mammals". Geochemistry, Geophysics, Geosystems 17 (10): 3983–3992. doi:10.1002/2016GC006529. Bibcode2016GGG....17.3983C. 
  5. 5.0 5.1 5.2 Zhe-Xi Luo; Chong-Xi Yuan; Qing-Jin Meng; Qiang Ji (25 August 2011). "A Jurassic eutherian mammal and divergence of marsupials and placentals". Nature 476 (7361): 442–445. doi:10.1038/nature10291. PMID 21866158. Bibcode2011Natur.476..442L. http://211.144.68.84:9998/91keshi/Public/File/34/476-7361/pdf/nature10291.pdf.  Electronic supplementary material
  6. "Fossil redefines mammal history" BBC News
  7. Discovery of a 160-million-year-old fossil represents a new milestone in early mammal evolution
  8. "Forelimb Kinematics of Rats Using XROMM, with Implications for Small Eutherians and Their Fossil Relatives". PLOS ONE 11 (3): e0149377. 2 March 2016. doi:10.1371/journal.pone.0149377. PMID 26933950. Bibcode2016PLoSO..1149377B. 

External links

Wikidata ☰ Q16894713 entry