| Malleodectes | |
|---|---|
| |
| An artist's illustration of Malleodectes mirabilis | |
| Scientific classification | |
| Kingdom: | Animalia |
| Phylum: | Chordata |
| Class: | Mammalia |
| Infraclass: | Metatheria |
| Order: | Dasyuromorphia |
| Family: | †Malleodectidae Archer et al., 2016 |
| Genus: | †Malleodectes Arena et al., 2011 |
| Referred species | |
| |
Malleodectes is an extinct genus of marsupial was discovered in 2011 at Riversleigh, Queensland, Australia. It could grow as large as a ferret, and lived in the Miocene, 17 million years ago. The reason for its name "Hammer Biter" is because it has blunt, hammer like teeth, not known from any other mammal extant or extinct. However, Scott Hocknull from the Queensland Museum has noticed similarities to the modern pink-tongued skink (Cyclodomorphus gerrardii), a reptile specialised in eating snails. This suggests that Malleodectes too was a specialised snail hunter.
In 2016, Malleodectes was reclassified into its own family; which itself lies within Dasyuromorphia.