ThePhysicist Posted February 10, 2021 Share Posted February 10, 2021 Hey y'all, recently got this Cretaceous mammal molar from the Lance Fm., Weston Co., WY. It's about 8 mm long. I'm thinking Didelphodon sp.? @jpc 1 "Argumentation cannot suffice for the discovery of new work, since the subtlety of Nature is greater many times than the subtlety of argument." - Carl Sagan "I was born not knowing and have had only a little time to change that here and there." - Richard Feynman Collections: Hell Creek Microsite | Hell Creek/Lance | Dinosaurs | Sharks | Squamates | Post Oak Creek | North Sulphur River | Lee Creek | Aguja | Permian | Devonian | Triassic | Harding Sandstone Instagram: @thephysicist_tff Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
PaleoNoel Posted February 10, 2021 Share Posted February 10, 2021 Looks much more like a multituberculate molar based on the humps of the teeth. Here is an example of one I found in matrix from the Lance fm. in the same county as your tooth. Just over a millimeter in length, by far the smallest mammal tooth in my collection and one of my smallest vertebrate fossils overall. And a larger specimen I found in South Dakota's Hell Creek. @jpc @Troodon 1 1 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
jpc Posted February 10, 2021 Share Posted February 10, 2021 Not Didelphodon. This is a multituberculate molar, and big, with grooved cusps... Meniscoessus, the only large multi in the Lance. 4 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ThePhysicist Posted February 10, 2021 Author Share Posted February 10, 2021 Thanks, @jpc! I thought it was pretty big too. How large did these guys get? What did they eat, just curious? "Argumentation cannot suffice for the discovery of new work, since the subtlety of Nature is greater many times than the subtlety of argument." - Carl Sagan "I was born not knowing and have had only a little time to change that here and there." - Richard Feynman Collections: Hell Creek Microsite | Hell Creek/Lance | Dinosaurs | Sharks | Squamates | Post Oak Creek | North Sulphur River | Lee Creek | Aguja | Permian | Devonian | Triassic | Harding Sandstone Instagram: @thephysicist_tff Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
PaleoNoel Posted February 10, 2021 Share Posted February 10, 2021 15 minutes ago, ThePhysicist said: What did they eat, just curious? Multituberculates had some of the most interesting and bizarre dentitions among all mammals which has made inferring their diet difficult. In my opinion they would be proficient omnivores, as you may see in rats today as Meniscoessus is thought to fit into that size range in some species. The many cusps of their molars seem fit to crush seeds, but would also be well suited to munching the exoskeletons of insects. 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Troodon Posted February 10, 2021 Share Posted February 10, 2021 Location: M2 A SPECIMEN OF THE UPPER CRETACEOUS MULTITUBERCULATE MENISCOI.SSUS BY GEORGE GAYLORD SIMPSON 3 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Shellseeker Posted February 10, 2021 Share Posted February 10, 2021 I always like to get a feeling for what an animal looks like, and sometimes the graphics artists comply: The White Queen ".... in her youth she could believe "six impossible things before breakfast" Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
jpc Posted February 10, 2021 Share Posted February 10, 2021 3 minutes ago, Shellseeker said: I always like to get a feeling for what an animal looks like, and sometimes the graphics artists comply: Nice drawing. There are strong arguments for multituberculates having a scaly tail like an opposum. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
doushantuo Posted February 10, 2021 Share Posted February 10, 2021 possibly a m1 of Meniscoessus robustus? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
doushantuo Posted February 10, 2021 Share Posted February 10, 2021 as regards ecology: this paper uses a somewhat quantitative approach to occlusion and it's a pretty good read,BTW 2 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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