Cosmopolitanism among Gondwanan Late Cretaceous mammals

Krause, David W.; Prasad, G. V. R.; Koenigswald, Wighart von; Sahni, Ashok; Grine, Frederick E.

doi:10.1038/37343

Cited by 197 publications

(117 citation statements)

References 19 publications

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“…However, it has been suggested that a land connection across the Kerguelen Plateau to Antarctica may have been in place as late as 80 Ma (Krause et al, 1997).…”

Section: Deccan Plate Tectonic Eventsmentioning

confidence: 99%

“…Evidence of mammal and reptile faunas from the Late Cretaceous, when a high degree of endemism would be expected if the Deccan Plate was isolated, have been interpreted as being part of a cosmopolitan fauna (Krause et al, 1997;Raminder et al, 1996). Briggs (2003, p. 384) stated "perhaps the most important consideration of all is the absence in the Indian fossil record of peculiar animals and plants that should have developed, had India undergone an extended period of isolation (millions of years) just before its contact with Eurasia.…”

Section: Deccan Plate Biotic Historymentioning

confidence: 99%

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Sri Lankan snail diversity: faunal origins and future prospects

Naggs¹,

Raheem²

2005

Rec West Aust Mus Sup

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-Sri Lankan snails have a complex history that might be linked to events ranging from Mesozoic plate tectonics and climate change on a global scale to more recent regional climate change and human impact. The fauna could include ancient groups that may have been present in Pangaea, diversified in Gondwana and survived in Deccan Plate refugia at the KIT boundary and Pangaean taxa that arrived via Eurasia.

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“…However, it has been suggested that a land connection across the Kerguelen Plateau to Antarctica may have been in place as late as 80 Ma (Krause et al, 1997).…”

Section: Deccan Plate Tectonic Eventsmentioning

confidence: 99%

Section: Deccan Plate Biotic Historymentioning

confidence: 99%

Sri Lankan snail diversity: faunal origins and future prospects

Naggs¹,

Raheem²

2005

Rec West Aust Mus Sup

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“…It would have had dinosaurs as well as early types of Mesozoic mammals. Of a more primitive evolutionary grade than the marsupials or placentals, these primitive types (Gondwanatheria) were widespread in the Mesozoic world (Krause et al, 1997;Cox and Moore, 2010). For many years scientists had no fossil evidence of ancestors of any of the large mammals we now associate with India -elephants, tigers, lions, primates.…”

Section: The "Out Of Asia" Hypothesis For the Origin Of Indian And Srmentioning

confidence: 99%

The biogeography and ecology of Sri Lankan mammals point to conservation priorities

Dittus

2017

Ceylon J. Sci.

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All mammals originated on the supercontinent of Pangaea in the Mesozoic era during the "Age of Reptiles." However, the crown ancestors of contemporary mammals did not flourish until major environmental and biotic changes had occurred. An asteroid collided with earth at the end of the Cretaceous Period (the K-Pg boundary event) wiping out nonflying dinosaurs and primitive mammals. It was followed by large-scale volcanism, a spike in atmospheric oxygen and the proliferation of flowering plants. New niches became available for the ancestors of today's mammals to fill. Evidence suggesting whether the ancestors of the Sri Lankan and Indian mammals originated on the tectonically marooned Indian plate before crashing into Asia or on the Laurasian supercontinent is inconclusive. Modern Sri Lankan mammals show their greatest affinity with those of southern India, and were more diverse in the Pleistocene when rhinoceros, hippopotamus, wild dogs, gaur and lions enriched the island's landscapes. Native Sri Lankan land-based mammals are diversified into about 108 unique taxa (among 91 species and 53 genera), differentiated as phenotypic adaptations to sharply contrasting environments among seven major phyto-climatic zones. Endemic subspecies are distributed fairly equally across different phyto-climatic zones (n=24 to 29), except in the highlands where they are fewer (n=14) having evolved rapidly to species and genera among the insectivores and rodents whose reproductive rates are high. Conversely, greater numbers of endemic species (n=13) and genera (n=3) occur in the highlands than in the other zones (2-6 endemic species, no endemic genera). The prevalence of endemism is inversely related to body size or vagility. This suggests a greater probability of genetic exchange among distant populations of large bodied mobile mammals within Sri Lanka, as well as with Indian fauna during periods of land bridges in the Pleistocene. Most (8 of 13) endangered and critically endangered endemic mammals occur in the wet montane regions that offer the least Protected Areas (PAs). More than 85% of PAs occur in the extensive dry zone about half of which is not suited for water dependent mammals whose distributions are restricted to alluvial forests (less than 1% of PAs). Historically, the national cost of conservation has been low and therefore politically palatable. Current conservation urgently requires a major change in management policy combined with realistic investment to prevent extinctions of many endemic mammals and other unique Sri Lankan biota.

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“…However, when Pascual et al (1999) described another form, the Palaeocene Sudamerica (5.9e), in which they showed that there are four molars teeth, and no blade-like lower premolar tooth, it became clear that these are not multituberculates at all, but a quite separate group, Gondwanatheria. They have since been described from Madagascar and India as well (Krause et al 1997), and there is a possible, but virtually indeterminate jaw fragment from Tanzania (Krause et al 2003). Thus the group is restricted to the Gondwanan continents.…”

Section: Multituberculatamentioning

confidence: 99%

The origin and evolution of mammals

2005

Choice Reviews Online

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Cosmopolitanism among Gondwanan Late Cretaceous mammals

Cited by 197 publications

References 19 publications

Sri Lankan snail diversity: faunal origins and future prospects

Sri Lankan snail diversity: faunal origins and future prospects

The biogeography and ecology of Sri Lankan mammals point to conservation priorities

The origin and evolution of mammals

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