Paurodon


Paurodon is an extinct genus of Late Jurassic mammal from the Morrison Formation of the western US.

Taxonomy

Paurodon is the type genus of the dryolestidan group Paurodontidae. Araeodon, Archaeotrigon, Foxraptor, and Pelicopsis are apparently growth stages of Paurodon.

Distribution and stratigraphy

Remains of Paurodon have been found in stratigraphic zone 5 of the Morrison Formation in Como Bluff, Wyoming.

Biology

Paurodon was strongly convergent with modern golden moles in terms of dentition and jaw shape. This suggests that its diet was composed of earthworms and may have even been subterranean, like the more derived Necrolestes.