The Placental Mammal Ancestor and the Post–K-Pg Radiation of Placentals

Maureen A. O'Leary; Jonathan I. Bloch; John J. Flynn; Timothy J. Gaudin; Andres Giallombardo; Norberto P. Giannini; Suzann L. Goldberg; Brian P. Kraatz; Zhe-Xi Luo; Jin Meng; Xijun Ni; Michael J. Novacek; Fernando A. Perini; Zachary S. Randall; Guillermo W. Rougier; Eric J. Sargis; Mary T. Silcox; Nancy B. Simmons; Michelle Spaulding; Paúl M. Velazco; Marcelo Weksler; John R. Wible; Andrea L. Cirranello

doi:10.1126/science.1229237

Research Article

The Placental Mammal Ancestor and the Post–K-Pg Radiation of Placentals

Maureen A. O'Leary¹,³,¶,
Jonathan I. Bloch²,
John J. Flynn³,
Timothy J. Gaudin⁴,
Andres Giallombardo³,
Norberto P. Giannini⁵,*,
Suzann L. Goldberg³,
Brian P. Kraatz³,⁶,
Zhe-Xi Luo⁷,†,
Jin Meng³,
Xijun Ni³,‡,
Michael J. Novacek³,
Fernando A. Perini³,||,
Zachary S. Randall²,
Guillermo W. Rougier⁸,
Eric J. Sargis⁹,
Mary T. Silcox¹⁰,
Nancy B. Simmons⁵,
Michelle Spaulding³,¹¹,
Paúl M. Velazco⁵,
Marcelo Weksler³,§,
John R. Wible¹¹,
Andrea L. Cirranello¹,³

¹Department of Anatomical Sciences, School of Medicine, HSC T-8 (040), Stony Brook University, Stony Brook, NY 11794–8081, USA.
²Florida Museum of Natural History, University of Florida, Gainesville, FL 32611–7800, USA.
³Division of Paleontology, American Museum of Natural History, 79th Street and Central Park West, New York, NY 10024–5192, USA.
⁴Department of Biological and Environmental Sciences, University of Tennessee at Chattanooga, 615 McCallie Avenue, Chattanooga, TN 37403–2598, USA.
⁵Department of Mammalogy, American Museum of Natural History, 79th Street and Central Park West, New York, NY 10024–5192, USA.
⁶Western University of Health Sciences, Department of Anatomy, Pomona, CA 91766–1854, USA.
⁷Section of Vertebrate Paleontology, Carnegie Museum of Natural History, 4400 Forbes Avenue, Pittsburgh, PA 15213–4080, USA.
⁸Department of Anatomical Sciences and Neurobiology, University of Louisville, Louisville, KY 40292, USA.
⁹Department of Anthropology, Yale University, Post Office Box 208277, New Haven, CT 06520–8277, USA.
¹⁰Department of Anthropology, University of Toronto Scarborough, 1265 Military Trail, Scarborough, Ontario M1C 1A4, Canada.
¹¹Section of Mammals, Carnegie Museum of Natural History, 5800 Baum Boulevard, Pittsburgh, PA 15206, USA.

¶To whom correspondence should be addressed. E-mail: maureen.oleary{at}stonybrook.edu

↵* Present address: Consejo Nacional de Investigaciones Científicas y Tecnológicas, Facultad de Ciencias Naturales e Instituto Miguel Lillo, Universidad Nacional de Tucumán, Miguel Lillo 205, Código Postal 4000, Tucumán, Argentina.
↵† Present address: Department of Organismal Biology and Anatomy, University of Chicago, 1027 East 57th Street, Chicago, IL 60637, USA.
↵‡ Present address: Institute of Vertebrate Paleontology and Paleoanthropology, Chinese Academy of Sciences, 142 Xi-Zhi-Men-Wai Street, Beijing, 100044, P. R. China.
↵§ Present address: Department of Vertebrates, Museu Nacional, Universidade Federal do Rio de Janeiro, Rio de Janeiro, RJ 20940-040, Brazil.
↵|| Present address: Department of Zoology, Instituto de Ciências Biológicas, Universidade Federal de Minas Gerais, Avenida Antônio Carlos 6627, Belo Horizonte, Minas Gerais 31270-901, Brazil.

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Science 08 Feb 2013:
Vol. 339, Issue 6120, pp. 662-667
DOI: 10.1126/science.1229237

Maureen A. O'Leary

1Department of Anatomical Sciences, School of Medicine, HSC T-8 (040), Stony Brook University, Stony Brook, NY 11794–8081, USA.

3Division of Paleontology, American Museum of Natural History, 79th Street and Central Park West, New York, NY 10024–5192, USA.

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Jonathan I. Bloch

2Florida Museum of Natural History, University of Florida, Gainesville, FL 32611–7800, USA.

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John J. Flynn

3Division of Paleontology, American Museum of Natural History, 79th Street and Central Park West, New York, NY 10024–5192, USA.

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Timothy J. Gaudin

4Department of Biological and Environmental Sciences, University of Tennessee at Chattanooga, 615 McCallie Avenue, Chattanooga, TN 37403–2598, USA.

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Andres Giallombardo

3Division of Paleontology, American Museum of Natural History, 79th Street and Central Park West, New York, NY 10024–5192, USA.

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Norberto P. Giannini

5Department of Mammalogy, American Museum of Natural History, 79th Street and Central Park West, New York, NY 10024–5192, USA.

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Suzann L. Goldberg

3Division of Paleontology, American Museum of Natural History, 79th Street and Central Park West, New York, NY 10024–5192, USA.

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Brian P. Kraatz

3Division of Paleontology, American Museum of Natural History, 79th Street and Central Park West, New York, NY 10024–5192, USA.

6Western University of Health Sciences, Department of Anatomy, Pomona, CA 91766–1854, USA.

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Zhe-Xi Luo

7Section of Vertebrate Paleontology, Carnegie Museum of Natural History, 4400 Forbes Avenue, Pittsburgh, PA 15213–4080, USA.

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Jin Meng

3Division of Paleontology, American Museum of Natural History, 79th Street and Central Park West, New York, NY 10024–5192, USA.

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Xijun Ni

3Division of Paleontology, American Museum of Natural History, 79th Street and Central Park West, New York, NY 10024–5192, USA.

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Michael J. Novacek

3Division of Paleontology, American Museum of Natural History, 79th Street and Central Park West, New York, NY 10024–5192, USA.

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Fernando A. Perini

3Division of Paleontology, American Museum of Natural History, 79th Street and Central Park West, New York, NY 10024–5192, USA.

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Zachary S. Randall

2Florida Museum of Natural History, University of Florida, Gainesville, FL 32611–7800, USA.

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Guillermo W. Rougier

8Department of Anatomical Sciences and Neurobiology, University of Louisville, Louisville, KY 40292, USA.

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Eric J. Sargis

9Department of Anthropology, Yale University, Post Office Box 208277, New Haven, CT 06520–8277, USA.

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Mary T. Silcox

10Department of Anthropology, University of Toronto Scarborough, 1265 Military Trail, Scarborough, Ontario M1C 1A4, Canada.

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Nancy B. Simmons

5Department of Mammalogy, American Museum of Natural History, 79th Street and Central Park West, New York, NY 10024–5192, USA.

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Michelle Spaulding

3Division of Paleontology, American Museum of Natural History, 79th Street and Central Park West, New York, NY 10024–5192, USA.

11Section of Mammals, Carnegie Museum of Natural History, 5800 Baum Boulevard, Pittsburgh, PA 15206, USA.

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Paúl M. Velazco

5Department of Mammalogy, American Museum of Natural History, 79th Street and Central Park West, New York, NY 10024–5192, USA.

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Marcelo Weksler

3Division of Paleontology, American Museum of Natural History, 79th Street and Central Park West, New York, NY 10024–5192, USA.

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John R. Wible

11Section of Mammals, Carnegie Museum of Natural History, 5800 Baum Boulevard, Pittsburgh, PA 15206, USA.

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Andrea L. Cirranello

1Department of Anatomical Sciences, School of Medicine, HSC T-8 (040), Stony Brook University, Stony Brook, NY 11794–8081, USA.

3Division of Paleontology, American Museum of Natural History, 79th Street and Central Park West, New York, NY 10024–5192, USA.

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Fossil and DNA phylogenies suggest that placental mammals diversified in the Cenozoic and reconstruct the ancestral form. [Also see Perspective by Yoder]

The Placental Mammal Ancestor and the Post–K-Pg Radiation of Placentals

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