Kingdom Animalia Phylum Chordata Order Euharamiyida | Class Mammalia Rank Genus | |
Similar Haramiyida, Arboroharamiya, Haramiyavia, Allotheria, Megaconus | ||
Xianshou is a genus of small allotherian mammal known from the Oxfordian stage of the Jurassic period, approximately 160 million years ago. Two species, X. linglong and X. songae, are known from fossils of the Tiaojishan Formation in the Liaoning province of China.
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Etymology
The genus name is derived from Chinese xian, meaning "immortal" or "celestial being", and shou, meaning "creature" or "beast". The specific name linglong is derived from both the Chinese word for "exquisite", and from the name of the town Linglongta, where the holotype was discovered. X. songae is named for the collector of the specimen, Rufeng Song.
Description
X. linglong is believed to have weighed 83 grams (2.9 oz) in life. It can be distinguished from X. songae and Shenshou by the sharper cusps and ridges of its upper molars, and by larger size. X. songae is estimated to have weighed around 40 grams (1.4 oz)