OLogy Cards > Kryptobaatar

Kryptobaatar

Although extinct today, this gopher-sized mammal thrived during the Mesozoic Era for about two million years. Kryptobaatar belonged to a group of mammals called multituberculates, small mammals with bumps on their teeth. Its name means "hidden hero."

Stats

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.

Stumper

When did the first mammals appear in the fossil record?

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.

Stumper

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.

Fact or Fiction

Kryptobaatar probably lived in tree trunks, where it stored nuts.

Fact

Fiction

Perhaps you're thinking of a squirrel? Kryptobaatar probably lived in burrows (holes dug in the ground).

Fact or Fiction

Kryptobaatar, an extinct multituberculate, is closely related to modern rodents, such as beavers and gophers.

Fact

Fiction

Although multituberculates resemble modern rodents, these two groups are unrelated. In paleontology, looks can be deceiving.

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