Arundelconodon hottoni (ah-RUN-del-CONE-oh-don HOT-on-eye)

An artist's reconstruction of a small mammal, Arundelconodon.  Looking a bit like a mouse, it is perched on a stump, eating a green katydid insect.

Click to zoom.

Arundelconodon belonged to an extinct lineage of mouse- to cat-sized mammals called triconodonts (tri-CONE-oh-donts), whose distinctive teeth are known from Cretaceous deposits around the world. It was the first Cretaceous mammal discovered in the eastern United States. The sharp, tall ridges on the Arundelconodon teeth suggest that this primitive mammal ate insects or other small animals.

Jaw fragment with five three-pointed and four-pointed teeth. Each tooth has one cusp that is taller than the others.

This Arundelconodon jaw fragment has five three- and four-pointed teeth. Click to zoom.