Name:
Crusafontia; pronounced CREW-sah-FON-tee-ah
Habitat:
Woodlands of Western Europe
Historical Period:
Early Cretaceous (110 million years ago)
Size and Weight:
About 4 inches long and one ounce
Diet:
Omnivorous
Distinguishing Characteristics:
Tiny size; long, prehensile tail
About Crusafontia:
Not a whole lot is known about Crusafontia, a tiny mammal that lived in western Europe during the early Cretaceous period. Based on the few teeth that have been found (at a fossil site in Portugal), as well as its resemblance to similar early mammals, Crusafontia is believed to have resembled a small squirrel, and probably had a squirrel-like diet of nuts and berries (though it may have eaten insects as well). Other than that, this mammal's most noteworthy feature was its long, bushy, possible prehensile tail, which it may have used to balance itself high up in trees.
