Commission: Patagonia and Necrolestes

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by Harpagornis

Gallery

Another by Julio Lacerda.

Necrolestes and Patagonia were two unique Miocene mammals from South America. These were among the very last non-therian mammals on the planet - a dryolestidan and a gondwanathere, respectively -, making them sort of archaic holdovers in our age of placentals and marsupials. Both were subterranean species, probably due to competition from more “modern” mammals.

In essence, they were to South America what modern monotremes are to Australia. It’s worth to note that it’s been suggested that marsupial moles are living dryolestoids, meaning that Necrolestes may still have modern relatives at least.

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