Sinobaatar

Sinobaatar
Temporal range: Early Cretaceous
Scientific classification
Kingdom: Animalia
Phylum: Chordata
Class: Mammalia
Order: Multituberculata
Family: Eobaataridae
Genus: Sinobaatar
Hu & Wang, 2002
Type species
Sinobaatar lingyuanensis
Hu & Wang, 2002
Species

Sinobaatar lingyuanensis
Hu & Wang, 2002
Sinobaatar xiei
Kusuhashi et al, 2009
Sinobaatar fuxinensis
Kusuhashi et al, 2009

Sinobaatar is a genus of extinct mammal from the Lower Cretaceous of China. It is categorized within the also extinct order Multituberculata and among these it belongs to the plagiaulacid lineage (a possible infraorder). Sinobaatar was a small herbivore during the Mesozoic era, commonly called "the age of the dinosaurs". The genus was named by Hu Y. and Wang Y. in 2002. Three species have been described.

It has been found in Lower Cretaceous strata of the Yixian Formation in Liaoning, China. According to Hu & Wang (2002),

"[t]he dental features of Sinobaatar show again that eobaatarids are obviously intermediate between Late Jurassic multituberculates and the later forms".

Many Multituberculata are only known from teeth, but the type specimen of Sinobataar is a reasonably complete skeleton.

Sinobataar was eaten, at least on occasion, by the feathered dinosaur Sinosauropteryx prima (Hurum et al. 2006).

Etymology

The name "Sinobaatar" is a Latin and Mongolian mixture of "Sino–" and "Bataar" (Baghatur) and means "Chinese hero". The type species name is in honor of Lingyuan City.

References

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