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200 million years ago
500 million years ago
900 million years ago
Correct!
Based on fossil evidence, the first mammals appeared during the Triassic Period about 200 million years ago.
Pronunciation: KRIP-toe-bah-TAR
Locality Found: Mongolia
Age: Cretaceous; 80 million years ago
Size: 6 inches (15 centimeters) long
Prepared For: Fighting Dinosaurs exhibition
Characteristics: These small early mammals lived in burrows and probably used their long incisors (front teeth) for chewing nuts and plants.
When did the first mammals appear in the fossil record?
Kryptobaatar used its long incisors and cheek teeth to eat what?
small lizards
other multituberculates
nuts, seeds, and plants
Correct!
Kryptobaatar was an herbivore (plant-eater) that used its teeth to cut and crush seeds or other plant parts.
Kryptobaatar probably lived in tree trunks, where it stored nuts.
Fact
OR
Fiction
?
Fiction
Perhaps you're thinking of a squirrel? Kryptobaatar probably lived in burrows (holes dug in the ground).
Kryptobaatar, an extinct multituberculate, is closely related to modern rodents, such as beavers and gophers.
Fact
OR
Fiction
?
Fiction
Although multituberculates resemble modern rodents, these two groups are unrelated. In paleontology, looks can be deceiving.