- Kollikodon
Taxobox
name = "Kollikodon ritchiei"
fossil_range =Early Cretaceous
regnum =Animal ia
phylum = Chordata
classis =Mammal ia
ordo = Monotremata
subordo =Platypoda
familia = Kollikodontidae
familia_authority = Flannery, Archer, Rich & Jones, 1995
genus = "Kollikodon"
genus_authority = Flannery, Archer, Rich & Jones, 1995
species = "K. ritchiei"
binomial = "Kollikodon ritchiei"
binomial_authority = Flannery, Archer, Rich & Jones, 1995"Kollikodon ritchiei" is a
fossil monotreme species . It is known only from an opaliseddentary fragment, with onepremolar and two molars "in situ ". Thefossil was found atLightning Ridge ,New South Wales ,Australia , as was "Steropodon "."Kollikodon" lived in the lower
Cretaceous period, during the middleAlbian age (100-104 million years ago).Like "Steropodon", "Kollikodon" was a relatively large mammal for the
Mesozoic . The molars have a length of around 5.5 mm and a width of between about 4 to 6 mm, (Clemens et al, 2003). Based upon these data, the potential body length could be up to a metre. Assuming the accuracy of such a guess, "Kollikodon" would be a contender for the largestMesozoic mammal known, along with other possible giants such as "Repenomamus ", "Schowalteria ", and "Bubodens ".Aside from its size, it is difficult to say what "Kollikodon" looked like. However, it may have been at least partly aquatic, as its strange teeth would work well for crushing
shellfish .Both "Kollikodon" and "
Steropodon " can be found at theAustralian Museum inSydney , along with Eric, theopal isedpliosaur .Origin of "Kollikodon"'s name
"Kollix" is an ancient Greek word for a bread roll. The strange teeth of "Kollikodon", when seen from above, resemble
hot cross bun s, traditionally toasted and eaten onGood Friday .Originally, Dr. Mike Archer wanted to name it "Hotcrossbunodon", but this was disapproved of by his associates.See also
* Fossil Monotremes
External links
* [http://www.amonline.net.au/fossil_sites/lightning.htm Australian Museum online: Lightning Ridge] Opal fossils from Oz.
* [http://www.austmus.gov.au/platypus/index.htm Australian Museum online] Some observations on "Hotcrossbunidon".
* [http://www.amonline.net.au/collections/highlights.htm Australian Museum online, Collection Highlights]References
* Flannery, T.F., Archer, M., Rich, T.H., Jones, R. (1995) "A new family of monotremes from the Cretaceous of Australia". "Nature" 377: 418-420.
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