What is Docodonta?
Q: What is Docodonta?
A: Docodonta is an order or suborder of extinct mammaliaforms that lived during the mid- to late-Mesozoic era.
Q: What are some features of docodonts?
A: Docodonts have sophisticated molars, a single bone lower jaw (the dentary), and were primarily herbivorous or insectivorous.
Q: Are docodonts considered mammals?
A: Generally, yes. However, those authors who limit the term "Mammalia" to the (living) crown group exclude docodonts and use the term mammaliaformes instead.
Q: How was Castorocauda adapted?
A: Castorocauda was adapted to a semi-aquatic life and had teeth which suggest it ate fish.
Q: What makes Castorocauda important in paleontology?
A: The first find of Castorocauda was an almost complete skeleton, which is rare in paleontology. It also breaks the "small nocturnal insectivore" stereotype as it was noticeably larger than most Mesozoic mammaliaform fossils, giving absolutely certain evidence of hair and fur which suggests mammalian-type temperature regulation.
