Durlstotherium

Durlstotherium Temporal range: Middle Berriasian 145–140.2 Ma PreꞒ Ꞓ O S D C P T J K Pg N ↓
Molars of Durlstotherium newmani (A) and Durlstodon ensomi (B)
Scientific classification
Domain:	Eukaryota
Kingdom:	Animalia
Phylum:	Chordata
Class:	Mammalia
Clade:	Eutheria
Genus:	†Durlstotherium Sweetman et al., 2017
Type species
†Durlstotherium newmani Sweetman et al., 2017

Durlstotherium is an extinct genus of mammal from the Early Cretaceous. It contains a single species, Durlstotherium newmani. The type specimen was found in Durlston Bay, Dorset, after which the genus was named.^[1] D. newmani was named after a British pub landlord, Charlie Newman.^[2] Durlstotherium and two of its contemporaries, Tribactonodon and Durlstodon, had tribosphenidan (three-cusped) molars, which are an advanced characteristic among eutherian mammals and suggest that the group emerged earlier than the Early Cretaceous.^[1]

Artist's impression of Durlstotherium (right and center) and Durlstodon (left)

References

1. Sweetman, S.C.; Smith, G.; Martill, D.M. (2017). "Highly derived eutherian mammals from the earliest Cretaceous of southern Britain". Acta Palaeontologica Polonica. 62 (4): 657–665. doi:10.4202/app.00408.2017.
2. Quach, Katyanna (November 8, 2017). "Our oldest mammalian ancestor named after British pub landlord". The Register.