Brasilestes Temporal range: | |
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Scientific classification ![]() | |
Kingdom: | Animalia |
Phylum: | Chordata |
Class: | Mammalia |
Clade: | Tribosphenida |
Genus: | † Brasilestes Castro et al., 2018 |
Species: | †B. stardusti |
Binomial name | |
†Brasilestes stardusti Castro et al., 2018 |
Brasilestes is an extinct genus of mammals from the Late Cretaceous (Campanian-Maastrichtian) of South America. Its type species, B. stardusti, is named after David Bowie. [1] [2]
Brasilestes is noted to be relatively large for a Mesozoic mammal, with a length speculated at around 50 cm. [2]
Brasilestes is a tribosphenic mammal. It is tentatively assigned to Eutheria due to contemporary eutherian remains in the Adamantina Formation. [3]
Brasilestes occurs in the Adamantina Formation, alongside a plethora of dinosaur and notosuchian taxa. Contemporary mammals include eutherians, gondwanatheres and meridiolestidans. [3]