Brief review: “Mesozoic Mammals from South America and their Forerunners”

A review of all Mesozoic synapsids of South America, as well as surviving Cenozoic lineages of those groups. Apparently done in quarentine.

I strongly recommend this book. It’s not wholly accessible to those not in palaeotological lingo, but it has some cute wit sometimes.

Bombshells:

• Brasilestes might not be a mammal, but a notosuchian tooth. So far all supposed therians from the Cretaceous of South America seem to be meridiolestidans, so hurray for dryolestloids.
• It interprets volaticotheres as gliding piscivores. Seems honestly easier to admit they were flyers, but cool nonetheless.
• While Groeberia is indeed a metatherian, the jury is still out on Patagonia, which doesn’t seem to have anything diagnosing it as a therian (granted, the gondwanathere interpretation is still treated cautiously).

Just read this thing already.

Sizes of all Mesozoic mammaliaforms, plus Cenozoic non-therians. Peligrotherium is huge, as you can see.