Woodburnodon

Woodburnodon is an extinct genus of microbiotherian marsupial whose fossils have been found on Seymour Island, Antarctica. It lived during the Eocene epoch.

Woodburnodon Temporal range: Eocene PreꞒ Ꞓ O S D C P T J K Pg N
Scientific classification
Domain:	Eukaryota
Kingdom:	Animalia
Phylum:	Chordata
Class:	Mammalia
Infraclass:	Marsupialia
Order:	Microbiotheria
Family:	†Woodburnodontidae Goin et al., 2007
Genus:	†Woodburnodon Goin et al., 2007
Species:	†W. casei
Binomial name
†Woodburnodon casei Goin et al., 2007[1]

Taxonomy

The genus is represented by single species, Woodburnodon casei, which was described in 2007 from fossils found on the Antarctic Peninsula.^[2] Woodburnodon is currently the only formally described species in the family Woodburnodontidae, although fossils of an unidentified Early Eocene woodburnodontids have also been found in Patagonia.^[3]

Description

Woodburnodon was the largest known member of the order Microbiotheria. It was at least three or four times larger than the microbiotherid Pachybiotherium, which has been estimated at 215–312 g (7.6–11.0 oz).^[2] This would put the size of Woodburnodon at around 1 kg (2.2 lb).

References

1. "Woodburnodon". Fossilworks.
2. Goin, F. J.; Zimicz, N.; Reguero, M. A.; Santillana, S. N.; Marenssi, S. A.; Moly, J. J. (2007). "New marsupial (Mammalia) from the Eocene of Antarctica, and the origins and affinities of the Microbiotheria". Revista de la Asociación Geológica Argentina. 62 (4): 597–603. Retrieved 2016-07-17.
3. Goin, F. J.; Woodburne, M. O.; Zimicz, A. N.; Martin, G. M.; Chornogubsky, L. (16 October 2015). A Brief History of South American Metatherians: Evolutionary Contexts and Intercontinental Dispersals. Springer. p. 216. ISBN 978-94-017-7420-8.