Acta Palaeontologica Polonica

Postcranial skeleton of a Cretaceous multituberculate mammal

Zofia Kielan-Jaworowska

Acta Palaeontologica Polonica 34 (1), 1989: 75-85

The fragmentary postcranial skeleton of an unidentified taeniolabidoid multituberculate from the Upper Cretaceous Djadokhta Formation at Bayn Dzak, Gobi Desert, Mongolia, is described. It consists of cervical vertebrae 2-7 manubrium of the sternum, sternebra, incomplete scapula and proximal part of the humerus. Cervical vertebrae and the manubrium of the sternum are described for the first time in the Multitaberculata. The individual to which the skeleton belonged was intermediate in size between Kryptobaatar dashzewegi and Catopsalis matthewi. The fusion of the axis with the third vertebra, the relatively large manubrium with a strong ventral ridge and the relatively stout humerus indicate that the species to which the skeleton belonged may have been specialized for digging.

Key words: Multituberculata, Mammalia, fossorial adaptations, Cretaceous, Mongolia.


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