Trechnotheria
Trechnotheria is a group of mammals that includes the therians and some fossil mammals from the Mesozoic Era. In the Jurassic through Cretaceous periods, the group was only found in the area which is now modern Asia and Africa.[2]
| Trechnotheria Temporal range: Late Triassic - Holocene,
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| Kangaroo with her joey | |
Scientific classification 
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| Kingdom: | Animalia |
| Phylum: | Chordata |
| Clade: | Theriiformes |
| Clade: | Trechnotheria McKenna, 1975 |
| Subgroups[1] | |
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When the group Trechnotheria was first defined, it was said to be a "superlegion". Since then it has been given many different ranks.[3] Later, a definnition based on nodes was created for Trechnotheria. This clade was imcluded the last common ancestor of Zhangheotherium and living therian mammals and all of its descentants.[4]
Characteristics
Like most mammal groups from the Mesozoic Era, early trechnotherians are known mainly from their teeth. One of the features of this group which is the most noticable is their large teeth. The features of the shoulder blade, tibia, humerus, and ankle joint are also used to define which animals are in this clade.[1]
Related pages
References
- ↑ 1.0 1.1 Luo, Z.−X.; Kielan−Jaworowska, Z.; and Cifelli, R.L. (2002). "In quest for a phylogeny of Mesozoic mammals" (PDF). Acta Palaeontologica Polonica. 47 (1): 1–78.
- ↑ "Trechnotheria - Mammalia". Paleobiology Database. Retrieved 2009-10-21.
- ↑ McKenna, Malcolm C.; Bell, Susan K. (1997). Classification of Mammals: Above the Species Level. Columbia University Press. p. 43. ISBN 9780231528535.
- ↑ Kielan-Jaworowska, Zofia; Cifelli, Richard; Luo Zhe-Xi (5 February 2005). Mammals from the age of dinosaurs: origins, evolution, and structure. Columbia University Press. p. 366. ISBN 978-0-231-11918-4.