Paurodon
Introduction '''''Paurodon''''' is an extinct genus of Late Jurassic mammal from the Morrison Formation of the Western United States.
Taxonomy ''Paurodon'' is the type genus of the dryolestidan group Paurodontidae. ''Araeodon'', ''Archaeotrigon'', ''Foxraptor'', and ''Pelicopsis'' are apparently growth stages of ''Paurodon''.
Distribution and stratigraphy Remains of ''Paurodon'' have been found in stratigraphic zone 5 of the Morrison Formation in Como Bluff, Wyoming.
Biology ''Paurodon'' was strongly convergent with modern golden moles in terms of dentition and jaw shape. This suggests that its diet was composed of earthworms (unlike other contemporary dryolestoids, which were more insectivorous) and may have even been subterranean, like the more derived ''Necrolestes''.
See also * Prehistoric mammal** List of prehistoric mammals* Paleobiota of the Morrison Formation
References * Foster, J. (2007). Jurassic West: The Dinosaurs of the Morrison Formation and Their World. Indiana University Press. 389pp.