Steropodontidae
Encyclopedia
The Steropodontidae was a family of monotreme
s that are known from fossils from the Early Cretaceous in Australia
.
There are two genera placed in this family; Steropodon
, and Teinolophos
which has been tentatively placed in the family due to the similarity of the lower molars in these two genera.
Monotreme
Monotremes are mammals that lay eggs instead of giving birth to live young like marsupials and placental mammals...
s that are known from fossils from the Early Cretaceous in Australia
Australia
Australia , officially the Commonwealth of Australia, is a country in the Southern Hemisphere comprising the mainland of the Australian continent, the island of Tasmania, and numerous smaller islands in the Indian and Pacific Oceans. It is the world's sixth-largest country by total area...
.
There are two genera placed in this family; Steropodon
Steropodon
Steropodon galmani was a prehistoric species of monotreme, or egg-laying mammal, that lived during the middle Albian stage, in the Lower Cretaceous period...
, and Teinolophos
Teinolophos
Teinolophos trusleri was a prehistoric species of monotreme, or egg-laying mammal. It is known from a lower jawbone found in Flat Rocks, Victoria, Australia. It lived during the Aptian age of the Lower Cretaceous. It is the earliest known relative of the Platypus.The species name honours the...
which has been tentatively placed in the family due to the similarity of the lower molars in these two genera.