Skip to main content

Thank you for visiting nature.com. You are using a browser version with limited support for CSS. To obtain the best experience, we recommend you use a more up to date browser (or turn off compatibility mode in Internet Explorer). In the meantime, to ensure continued support, we are displaying the site without styles and JavaScript.

Mammalian evolution

Relationships to chew over

Nature volume 409, pages 28–31 (2001)Cite this article

Did advanced mammals evolve on the southern continents and then move north? Not according to a new study, which concludes that such mammals evolved in both the south and the north.

There are three groups of living mammals — placentals, marsupials and the monotremes. The first two, along with some mammalian fossil relatives, have so-called 'tribosphenic' teeth, which provide a highly efficient way of chopping and grinding food. Monotreme ancestors are also thought to have possessed such teeth.

This is a preview of subscription content, access via your institution

Access options

Rent or buy this article

Get just this article for as long as you need it

$39.95

Learn more

Prices may be subject to local taxes which are calculated during checkout

Figure 1: Proposed evolutionary relationships and origins of living mammals — placentals, marsupials and monotremes — and some fossil relatives.

References

  1. Luo, Z., Cifelli, R. L. & Kielan-Jaworowska, Z. Nature 409, 53– 57 (2001).

    Article  ADS  CAS  Google Scholar 

  2. Rich, T. H. et al. Science 278, 1438– 1442 (1997).

    Article  ADS  CAS  Google Scholar 

  3. Flynn, J. J., Parrish, J. M., Rakotosamimanana, B., Simpson, W. F. & Wyss, A. E. Nature 401, 57–60 (1999).

    Article  ADS  CAS  Google Scholar 

  4. Penny, D. & Hasegawa, M. Nature 387, 549–550 (1997).

    Article  ADS  CAS  Google Scholar 

  5. Kielan-Jaworowska, Z., Cifelli, R. L. & Luo, Z. Lethaia 31, 267– 268 (1998).

    Article  Google Scholar 

  6. Archer, M., Flannery, T. F., Ritchie, A. & Molnar, R. Nature 318, 363–366 ( 1985).

    Article  ADS  Google Scholar 

  7. Chow, M. & Rich, T. H. Austr. Mammal. 5, 127–142 (1982).

    Google Scholar 

  8. Woodburne, M. O. & Case, J. A. J. Mamm. Evol. 3, 121–161 ( 1996).

    Article  Google Scholar 

  9. Gregory, W. K. Bull. Am. Mus. Nat. Hist. 88, 1–52 (1947).

    Google Scholar 

  10. Killian, J. K. et al. Mol. Cell 5, 707– 716 (2000).

    Article  CAS  Google Scholar 

Download references

Author information

Authors and Affiliations

  1. Department of Biological Anthropology and Anatomy, Duke University, 08 Biological Sciences Building, Science Drive, Box 90383, Durham, 27708-0383, North Carolina , USA

    Anne Weil

Authors
  1. Anne Weil
    View author publications

    You can also search for this author in PubMed Google Scholar

Corresponding author

Correspondence to Anne Weil.

Rights and permissions

Reprints and Permissions

About this article

Cite this article

Weil, A. Relationships to chew over. Nature 409, 28–31 (2001). https://doi.org/10.1038/35051199

Download citation

  • Issue Date:

  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1038/35051199

This article is cited by

Search

Advanced search

Quick links

Nature Briefing

Sign up for the Nature Briefing newsletter — what matters in science, free to your inbox daily.

Get the most important science stories of the day, free in your inbox. Sign up for Nature Briefing