Summary of Paleontological Information

This book summarizes the most relevant published paleontological information, supplemented by our own original work, on the record of Mesozoic mammals’ evolution, their close ancestors and their immediate descendants. Mammals evolved in a systematically diverse world, amidst a dynamic geography that is at the root of the 6,500 species living today.

Fossil Evidence and Geographic Distribution

Fossils of Mesozoic mammals, while rare and often incomplete, are key to understanding how mammals have evolved over more than 200 million years. Mesozoic mammals and their close relatives occur in a few dozen localities from Argentina, Brazil, Chile, Bolivia, and Peru spanning from the Mid-Triassic to the Late Cretaceous, with some lineages surviving the cataclysmic end of the Cretaceous period, into the Cenozoic of Argentina.

Recognized Mammalian Lineages

There are roughly 25 recognized mammalian species distributed in several distinctive lineages, including australosphenidans, multituberculates, gondwanatherians, eutriconodonts, amphilestids and dryolestoids, among others.

Focus and Unique Aspects

With its focus on diversity, systematics, phylogeny, and their impact on the evolution of mammals, there is no similar book currently available.