Mammal
Pediomys elegans
Pediomys elegansPediomys elegans was a diminutive Cretaceous metatherian that scurried across floodplain forests beneath the feet of giant dinosaurs. Possessing sharp, multi-cusped teeth suited for slicing insect exoskeletons and chewing seeds, it represents one of the ancient stem-marsupial lineages thriving just before the close of the Mesozoic. Like many early mammals, it likely relied on keen nocturnal senses and subterranean burrows to evade predators.
FossilPrehistoric
—observations
—countries
—peak records
ExtinctConservation statusIUCN Red List categoriesLCNTVUENCREWEXExtinctRed List categories, explained →
Diet & preyBeetles, Larvae, Seeds
Predators
- Dromaeosaurs
- Troodontids
- Mesozoic snakes
ThreatsCretaceous-Paleogene extinction event
HabitatsSubtropical riparian forests and floodplains
Life span1–3 years
Classification
- FamilyPediomyidae
- SpeciesPediomys elegans
Range data is not available yet.
Interaction riskLow
- Low
- Moderate
- High
- Very high
- Why interaction risk is low
- Extinct species known only from Cretaceous fossils; safe to examine in museum collections.
Responsible observation
- Fossil Examination: Use stereomicroscopes to inspect the tiny, delicate cusps of isolated molars.
- Microsite Prospecting: Search Late Cretaceous riverbed deposits for diminutive vertebrate microfossils.
Related Metatherian MCDinosaurhunter / CC BY-SA 3.0 · cc-by-sa
Eutherian Competitor George Gaylord Simpson / Public domain · cc0
Contemporaneous Relative Wikimedia Commons / CC BY-SA 3.0 · cc-by-sa
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