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set: fossils // series: tooth // picture: MAMMAL

Mammal tooth from the Late Eocene (35 million years) of the Isle of Wight. Continued

This small tooth (4mm long) is a first or second molar from the lower left side of the jaw. It belonged to an extinct rat-sized rodent of the family Theridomyidae and is named Thalerimys fordi (Bosma & Insole 1972). The tooth indicates little use in chewing as it is hardly worn (a few slightly flattened areas on the crests), probably this mammal did not live to an old age.

The strong crests and medium crown height displayed well by this scanning electron micrograph, show that this mammal fed on leaves, probably with some fruit, as shown by the nearest living dental analogue, the cane rat. The ancient mammal lived in a wooded environment surrounded by ponds and lakes containing water plants such as water lilies and pond weeds. This specimen was discovered by students studying our fourth year MSci course in Terrestrial Palaeoecology. Specimens are currently being applied in a major NERC-funded palaeoclimate project in a collaborative study between Royal Holloway (Mattey, Collinson & Grimes) and Jerry Hooker at the Natural History Museum, London.

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