Adelobasileus

Adelobasileus is an extinct proto-mammal from the Upper Triassic, about 225 million years ago. There is only a partial skull from strata in western Texas.

Skull features, like the housing of the cochlea, suggest that Adelobasileus is a transitional form in the evolution from cynodonts to end-Triassic mammals. For this reason, it may be close to modern mammals' common ancestor.Lucas S.G. & Hunt A.P. 1990. The oldest mammal. New Mexico Journal of Science 30 (1): 41–49.Lucas S.G. & Luo Z. 1993. Adelobasileus from the upper Triassic of West Texas: the oldest mammal. J. Vert. Paleont 13 (3): 309–334.  Their sleek body type suggests they moved very fast.

 References 

 Other websites 
Adelobasileus from Palaeos 

Category:Therapsids