Henkelotherium Explained

Henkelotherium is an extinct genus of dryolestidan mammal from the Late Jurassic (Kimmeridgian) Camadas de Guimarota, in Portugal.^[1] Unlike many other Jurassic mammals, it is known from a largely complete skeleton, and is thought to have had an arboreal lifestyle.

Description

The skull of Henkelotherium is long, and presacral body length is . This suggest a weight of about .^[2]

Paleobiology

Primitive characters of Henkelotherium (e.g. asymmetric condyles of the femur) indicate that this species had a mode of locomotion similar to tree shrews and opossums. The small size of Henkelotherium and elongated tail made it suited to an arboreal lifestyle and capable of climbing trees, a notion supported by the paleoecological reconstruction of the Guimarota ecosystem indicating a densely vegetated environment.^{[3] [4]} Based on its late growth of jaws and it possessing additional molars that erupted after antemolar replacement was completed, Henkelotherium is believed to have had a long lifespan, a slower life history, or a combination of the two.^[5]

Taxonomy

In cladistic analyses, Henkelotherium has been considered closely related to Dryolestidae, either as a part of that group, or as closely related but placed outside that family as a non-dryolestid dryolestidan.^[6]

See also

• Prehistoric mammal
  • List of prehistoric mammals

Further reading

• Ramón Vázquez Molinero: Comparative anatomy of Henkelotherium guimarotae (Holotheria), a late Jurassic small mammal, and its relevance for the evolution of the mode of locomotion of modern mammals. Dissertation. Freie Universität Berlin, Fachbereich Geowissenschaften, 2003. Dissertation Online

http://www.diss.fu-berlin.de/diss/receive/FUDISS_thesis_000000001206

Notes and References

1. Krebs B., 1991. Das Skelett von Henkelotherium guimarotae gen. et sp. nov. (Eupantotheria, Mammalia) aus dem Oberen Jura von Portugal. Berl Geowiss Abh A.: 133:1–110.
2. Book: 9780198507611. The Origin and Evolution of Mammals. Oxford University Press, USA. 2005. 22 September 2022. 183. T. S. Kemp.
3. Vázquez-Molinero, R., Martin, T., Fischer, M. S. and Frey, R. (2001), Comparative anatomical investigations of the postcranial skeleton of Henkelotherium guimarotae Krebs, 1991 (Eupantotheria, Mammalia) and their implications for its locomotion. Zool. Reihe, 77: 207–216. doi: 10.1002/mmnz.20010770206
4. Jäger . K. R. K. . Luo . Z.-X. . Martin . T. . 2020-09-01 . Postcranial Skeleton of Henkelotherium guimarotae (Cladotheria, Mammalia) and Locomotor Adaptation . Journal of Mammalian Evolution . en . 27 . 3 . 349–372 . 10.1007/s10914-018-09457-2 . 254689452 . 1573-7055.
5. Luo . Zhe-Xi . Martin . Thomas . 6 April 2023 . Mandibular and dental characteristics of the Late Jurassic mammal Henkelotherium guimarotae (Paurodontidae, Dryolestida) . PalZ . en . 97 . 3 . 569–619 . 10.1007/s12542-023-00651-z . 0031-0220 . 14 November 2024 . Springer Link.
6. Lasseron . Maxime . Martin . Thomas . Allain . Ronan . Haddoumi . Hamid . Jalil . Nour-Eddine . Zouhri . Samir . Gheerbrant . Emmanuel . 2022-06-02 . An African Radiation of 'Dryolestoidea' (Donodontidae, Cladotheria) and its Significance for Mammalian Evolution . Journal of Mammalian Evolution . 29 . 4 . 733–761 . en . 10.1007/s10914-022-09613-9 . 249324444 . 1064-7554.