Essonodon
Essonodon is a mammal genus from the Upper Cretaceous of North America. It was a member of the extinct order Multituberculata and lived towards the end of the "age of the dinosaurs." It is within the suborder Cimolodonta and perhaps the family Cimolomyidae.
| Essonodon Temporal range: Late Cretaceous | |
|---|---|
Scientific classification  | |
| Domain: | Eukaryota |
| Kingdom: | Animalia |
| Phylum: | Chordata |
| Class: | Mammalia |
| Order: | †Multituberculata |
| Family: | †Cimolomyidae |
| Genus: | †Essonodon |
| Species: | †E. browni |
| Binomial name | |
| †Essonodon browni Simpson, 1927 | |
The genus Essonodon was named by Simpson G.G. in 1927, and is also partly known as Cimolodon. The inclusion of this taxon within Cimolomyidae is tentative. (Kielan-Jaworowska & Hurum 2001, p. 408).
The species: Essonodon browni has also partly been known as Cimolodon nitidus (Marsh 1889).
Place: Hell Creek, Montana & San Juan Basin, New Mexico & Wyoming (USA)
Age: Maastrichtian (Upper Cretaceous)
This species was a large multituberculate that weighed in at over 2.5 kilograms. Further material has been reported from the Frenchman Formation of Canada.
References
- Simpson (1927), "Mammalian fauna of the Hell Creek Formation of Montana." Amer. Mus. Novit. 267, p. 1-7, 6 figs.
- Kielan-Jaworowska Z & Hurum JH (2001), "Phylogeny and Systematics of multituberculate mammals." Paleontology 44, p. 389-429.
- Much of this information has been derived from MESOZOIC MAMMALS; 'basal' Cimolodonta, Cimolomyidae, Boffiidae and Kogaionidae, an Internet directory.
