Prehistoric mammal

From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

Prehistoric mammals are groups of mammals that lived before humans developed writing. 164 million years ago, in the Jurassic period, Castorocauda lutrasimilis, a mammal-like (mammaliaform) animal weighing about 500 grams (1.1 lb), had a full mammalian pelt, with guard hairs and under fur, webbed feet, and scales on the tail like a modern beaver, as well as teeth specialized for catching fish.

Later, about 130 million years ago in the Cretaceous, there existed larger mammals, including Repenomamus giganticus and Repenomamus robustus. Fossils up to one meter (3¼ ft) long have been found, with dinosaur remains in their stomach contents.

The lineages of many varieties continued through the Tertiary period where some reached very large sizes. Most of the very large mammals became extinct in the last ice age, but have smaller descendants.

[edit] List of prehistoric mammals

Main article: List of prehistoric mammals

Prehistoric mammals include:

Amebelodon American Cheetah American Camel American Zebra Ancient Bison Ancient Narwhal Andrewsarchus Arsinoitherium Atzlan Rabbit Barytherium Basilosaurus Bone-crushing Dog Brontotherium Castorocauda lutrasimilis[1] Cave Bear Cave Lion Chalicothere Chalicotherium Deinotherium Diminutive Pronghorn Diprotodons Dire Wolf Doedicurus Dorudon Dwarf Killer Whale Dwarf Polar Bear Elasmotherium Embolotherium Entelodont European Cougar European Gorilla European Jaguar European Leopard European Hippopotamus Four-Tusked Elephant Giant Orangutan Giant Koala Giant Meerkat Giant Long-horned Buffalo Giant Lynx Giant Vampire Bat Giant Beaver Giant Killer Whale Giraffe Camel Glyptodon Gomphotherium Hyracotherium Indricotherium/Baluchitherium/Paraceratherium Irish Elk Knife-flippered Killer Whale Japanese Dwarf Elephant Harrison's Whale Horned Narhwal Hyaenodon Humpback Narhwal Macrauchenia Mammoths

Columbian Mammoth Woolly Mammoth Pygmy Mammoth Imperial Mammoth Tundra Mammoth Wrangel Island Mammoth Malagasy River Dolphin Marsupial Lion Mastodons American Mastodon Palaeomastodon Sinomastodon Megaloceros Megatherium Moeritherium North American Camel North American Lion North American Llama Phiomia Platybelodon Primelephas Propalaeotherium Purgatorius Pygmy Polar Bear Pygmy Giant Panda Powerful Killer Whale Repenomamus giganticus and r.robustus[2] Rinston's Bottlenose Dolphin Saber-toothed cats Smilodon Shark-toothed Dolphin Short-faced Skunk Shuler's Pronghorn Stegodon Stubby-Tusked Narwhal Sensitive Ibex Swan-necked Seal Synthetoceras Teleoceras Tetrabelodon Tetralophodon Toxodon Trilophodon Uintatherium Walrus Whale Wilmington's Ground Sloth Wanda's Fox Woolly Rhinoceros

[edit] See also

• Synapsid
• Therapsid
• Cynodont
• Mammaliaformes
• List of extinct mammals

This prehistoric mammal-related article is a stub. You can help Wikipedia by expanding it.