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Ambondro mahabo
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Lateral view of a set of teeth from Ambondro mahabo, an extinct shrewlike mammal.
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Ambondro mahabo

fossil mammal
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Lateral view of a set of teeth from Ambondro mahabo, an extinct shrewlike mammal.
Lateral view of a set of teeth from Ambondro mahabo, an extinct shrewlike mammal.

Ambondro was a genus of extinct, shrewlike mammals that lived during the Middle Jurassic period, approximately 167 million years ago, in Madagascar. It is significant as the oldest known mammal to possess complex tribosphenic dentition. This type of molar tooth structure featured interlocking cusps for crushing insects, similar to a mortar and pestle.1

The discovery of Ambondro mahabo fossils pushed back the known origin of tribosphenic dentition by 25 million years and extended the geographic range of early mammals with this trait to the Southern Hemisphere. These tiny mammals were comparable in size to modern shrews. The fossil remains, primarily a broken jaw with teeth, were found in the Mahajanga Basin.1

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3 Britannica Sources
  1. Ambondro
  2. Amphitherium
  3. Ambon

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