Alphadon
Encyclopedia
Alphadon was a genus of small, primitive mammal
that was a member of the metatheria
ns, a group of mammals that includes modern-day marsupials. Its fossils were first discovered and named by George Gaylord Simpson
in 1929.
Not much is known of its appearance as it is only known from teeth. It probably grew to about 12 inches (30 cm) and may have resembled a modern opossum. Judging from its teeth, it was likely an omnivore
, feeding on fruits, invertebrates and possibly small vertebrates.
Alphadon lived during the end of the late Cretaceous
period, alongside dinosaurs such as Tyrannosaurus
and Triceratops
. Its fossils have been found across North America, ranging from as far north as Alberta, Canada, to as far south as New Mexico in the United States.
The type species is A. marshi.
Mammal
Mammals are members of a class of air-breathing vertebrate animals characterised by the possession of endothermy, hair, three middle ear bones, and mammary glands functional in mothers with young...
that was a member of the metatheria
Metatheria
Metatheria is a grouping within the animal class Mammalia. First proposed by Thomas Henry Huxley in 1880, it is nearly synonymous with the earlier taxon Marsupialia though it is slightly wider since it also contains the nearest fossil relatives of marsupial mammals.The earliest known...
ns, a group of mammals that includes modern-day marsupials. Its fossils were first discovered and named by George Gaylord Simpson
George Gaylord Simpson
George Gaylord Simpson was an American paleontologist. Simpson was perhaps the most influential paleontologist of the twentieth century, and a major participant in the modern evolutionary synthesis, contributing Tempo and mode in evolution , The meaning of evolution and The major features of...
in 1929.
Not much is known of its appearance as it is only known from teeth. It probably grew to about 12 inches (30 cm) and may have resembled a modern opossum. Judging from its teeth, it was likely an omnivore
Omnivore
Omnivores are species that eat both plants and animals as their primary food source...
, feeding on fruits, invertebrates and possibly small vertebrates.
Alphadon lived during the end of the late Cretaceous
Cretaceous
The Cretaceous , derived from the Latin "creta" , usually abbreviated K for its German translation Kreide , is a geologic period and system from circa to million years ago. In the geologic timescale, the Cretaceous follows the Jurassic period and is followed by the Paleogene period of the...
period, alongside dinosaurs such as Tyrannosaurus
Tyrannosaurus
Tyrannosaurus meaning "tyrant," and sauros meaning "lizard") is a genus of coelurosaurian theropod dinosaur. The species Tyrannosaurus rex , commonly abbreviated to T. rex, is a fixture in popular culture. It lived throughout what is now western North America, with a much wider range than other...
and Triceratops
Triceratops
Triceratops is a genus of herbivorous ceratopsid dinosaur which lived during the late Maastrichtian stage of the Late Cretaceous Period, around 68 to 65 million years ago in what is now North America. It was one of the last dinosaur genera to appear before the great Cretaceous–Paleogene...
. Its fossils have been found across North America, ranging from as far north as Alberta, Canada, to as far south as New Mexico in the United States.
The type species is A. marshi.