Nemegtbaatar

Nemegtbaatar
Scientific classification
Kingdom: Animalia Therapsida Class: Mammalia Order: Multituberculata Superfamily: Djadochtatherioidea Genus: Nemegtbaatar
Species
N. gobiensis
Ref.

Nemegtbaatar is a Mongolian mammal genus from the Upper Cretaceous. It existed in the company of much larger dinosaurs. This critter was a member of the extinct order of Multituberculata.
For those of a technical inclination, it's within the Suborder of Cimolodonta, and a member of the superfamily Djadochtatherioidea.

Genus: Nemegtbaatar Kielan-Jaworowska Z, 1974

Species: Nemegtbaatar gobiensis Kielan-Jaworowska Z, 1974
Place: Nemegt Formation
Country: Mongolia
Age: Campanian (late?), Upper Cretaceous
Remarks: "Compared to all extant mammals the braincase in Nemegtbaatar and Chulsanbaatar is primitive…" (Hurum, 1998). I cite this quotation for two reasons. Firstly, even I can understand what it means. Secondly, all extant mammals includes the monotremes such as the duck-billed platypus, despite its residual egg-laying habit.
Nemegtbaatar was a relatively large member of Djadochtatherioidea, with a skull length of up to 4,5cm. At least one specimen is in the Institute of Paleobiology collection of the Polish Academy of Science at Warsaw, (ZPAL MgM-1/76).
The quotation comes from the abstract of Hurum (1998), [1] (http://www.paleo.pan.pl/acta/acta43-1.htm#Hurum) The braincase of two Late Cretaceous Asian multituberculates studied by serial sections. Acta Palaeontologica Polonica 43(1), p 21-52.
Reference: Kielan-Jaworowska (1974), Multituberculate succession in the Late Cretaceous of the Gobi Desert (Mongolia). Palaeontologica Polonica, 30, p.23-44.

Page references: Kielan-Jaworowska Z & Hurum JH (2001), Phylogeny and Systematics of multituberculate mammals. Paleontology 44, p.389-429.

(This information has been derived from [2] (http://home.arcor.de/ktdykes/djado.htm) MESOZOIC MAMMALS; Djadochtatherioidea, an internet directory. As that's my webpage, there are no issues of copyright.)