Necrolestes: Research Database
Theropoda · Cretaceous · Unknown
Research Note: Necrolestes was a theropoda from the Cretaceous of Unknown, providing important data on prehistoric life and ecosystem dynamics.
| Research Finding | Status | Grade | Year | Method | Citation | Impact |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
Rougier Wible Beck 2012: Necrolestes and related taxa Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences | Confirmed | A | 2012 | Fossil | Rougier Wible Beck, Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences | Taxonomy |
Wible Rougier 2017: Necrolestes and related taxa Annals of Carnegie Museum | Confirmed | B | 2017 | Fossil | Wible Rougier, Annals of Carnegie Museum | Taxonomy |
What We Still Do Not Know About Necrolestes
- Complete skeletal morphology and ecological role.
- Phylogenetic relationships within Theropoda.
- Distribution and evolutionary history.
In Depth
Necrolestes is only known from partial remains, but the snout (the best preserved part) has an upturned tip. This has led to speculation that Necrolestes may have had a fleshy appendage similar to that seen on the star nosed mole (Condylura cristata). This in turn has led to speculation that Necrolestes may have lived like a mole, although an alternative is that it may have been a more regular kind of small mammal that pushed a specially adapted sensing nose through leaf litter to find hidden invertebrates. Necrolestes is usually interpreted as being a marsupial because these were the dominant types of mammals in South America until it became connected to North America in the Pliocene.
Further Reading
– Nuevos restos de mam�feros f�siles descubiertos por Carlos Ameghino en el Eoceno inferior de la Patagonia austral. – Especies nuevas, adiciones y correcciones [New remains of fossil mammals discovered by Carlos Ameghino in the lower Eocene of southern Patagonia. – New species, additions, and corrections]. – Revista Argentina de Historia Natural 1:289-328 . – F. Ameghino – 1891. – Los Metatheria sudamericanos de comienzos del Ne�geno (Mioceno Temprano, Edad-mam��fero Colhuehuapense). – Parte I: Introducci�n, Didelphimorphia y Sparassodonta. Ameghiniana 44(1):29-71. – F. Goin, A. Abello, E. Bellosi, R. Kay, R. Madden & A. Carlini – 2007. – The Patagonian fossil mammal Necrolestes: a Neogene survivor of Dryolestoidea. – Revista del Museo Argentino de Ciencias Naturales, Nueva Serie. 14 (2): 261–306. – Nicol�s R. Chimento, Federico L. Agnolin & Fernando E. Novas – 2012.
