Palaeocastor
E472454
Palaeocastor is an extinct genus of burrowing beavers from the Oligocene–Miocene of North America, best known for the distinctive spiral fossil burrows they created.
Statements (46)
| Predicate | Object |
|---|---|
| instanceOf |
extinct genus
ⓘ
fossil taxon ⓘ rodent genus ⓘ |
| associatedIchnogenus | Daemonelix NERFINISHED ⓘ |
| behavior | burrowing ⓘ |
| belongsTo | beavers ⓘ |
| bodySize | small to medium-sized beaver ⓘ |
| burrowIchnofossilName | Daemonelix NERFINISHED ⓘ |
| burrowType |
corkscrew-shaped burrows
ⓘ
spiral burrows ⓘ |
| class | Mammalia ⓘ |
| dentitionType | rodent incisors ⓘ |
| diet | herbivorous ⓘ |
| differsFrom | modern beavers by being specialized for digging rather than swimming ⓘ |
| ecologicalRole |
burrowing mammal
ⓘ
fossorial rodent ⓘ |
| environment |
ancient floodplain deposits
ⓘ
semi-arid grassland ⓘ |
| family | Castoridae NERFINISHED ⓘ |
| fossilType |
body fossils
ⓘ
trace fossils ⓘ |
| foundIn |
Nebraska fossil beds
ⓘ
South Dakota fossil beds NERFINISHED ⓘ |
| geologicalTimeRange | Oligocene–Miocene ⓘ |
| importanceInPaleontology | classic example of matching a body fossil to a trace fossil producer ⓘ |
| kingdom | Animalia ⓘ |
| knownFrom |
Great Plains region
NERFINISHED
ⓘ
North America NERFINISHED ⓘ |
| lifestyle |
fossorial
ⓘ
terrestrial ⓘ |
| limbAdaptation | strong forelimbs for digging ⓘ |
| locomotion | digging-adapted quadruped ⓘ |
| notableFor | spiral fossil burrows ⓘ |
| order | Rodentia ⓘ |
| paleoecology | inhabited upland areas away from large permanent water bodies ⓘ |
| phylum | Chordata ⓘ |
| reproductiveBehaviorInference | likely nested in burrow chambers ⓘ |
| resembles | modern beavers ⓘ |
| scientificSignificance |
helps interpret origin of Daemonelix structures
ⓘ
provides evidence of complex burrowing behavior in fossil rodents ⓘ |
| socialBehaviorInference | possibly lived in colonies ⓘ |
| status | extinct ⓘ |
| taxonRank | genus ⓘ |
| temporalRange |
Miocene
NERFINISHED
ⓘ
Oligocene NERFINISHED ⓘ |
| traceFossilsInclude | burrow systems ⓘ |
Referenced by (1)
Full triples — surface form annotated when it differs from this entity's canonical label.