| Gurbanodelta Temporal range: Late Paleocene
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| Scientific classification | |
| Domain: | Eukaryota |
| Kingdom: | Animalia |
| Phylum: | Chordata |
| Class: | Mammalia |
| Order: | †Deltatheroida |
| Family: | †Deltatheridiidae |
| Genus: | †Gurbanodelta Xinjun Ni et al, 2016 |
| Species | |
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Gurbanodelta kara is an extinct genus of metatherian mammal. A deltatheroid, it represents the geologically youngest member of this clade, dating to the late Paleocene of China.
Description
Gurbanodelta kata is known from upper molars. They are the smallest sized among deltatheroideans, suggesting that it was a small, shrew-sized mammal.
Classification
Gurbanodelta kara nests deeply within Deltatheridiidae. Its closest relative is the largest known deltatheroidean, Nanocuris.
Size reduction
Deltatheroideans are relatively large carnivorous mammals. By contrast, Gurbanodelta kara is a small sized species. This indicates a size reduction that potentially allowed it to survive the KT event, likely switching to an insectivorous diet.
References
- ^ a b c d Ni, Xijun; Li, Qiang; Stidham, Thomas A.; Li, Lüzhou; Lu, Xiaoyu; Meng, Jin (2016). "A late Paleocene probable metatherian (?deltatheroidan) survivor of the Cretaceous mass extinction". Scientific Reports. 6. Springer Science and Business Media LLC: 38547. Bibcode:2016NatSR...638547N. doi:10.1038/srep38547. PMC 5141426. PMID 27924847.
