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Glite Dictionary
protomammal

protomammal

9.9
An extinct early animal that had some mammal features and was an ancestor of mammals
  • noun
  • /ˌproʊtəˈmæməl/
  • Specialized
translation icon : protomamífero
  • Fossils of the protomammal show evidence of warm-bloodedness and fur-like structures.

Examples

  • The protomammal lived during the Triassic period and displayed some characteristics of modern mammals.

  • Only a handful of animal species had survived the great joining: insects, amphibians, reptiles, and protomammals, reptilian creatures with mammalian features, a lumpen, ugly, unfinished lot.

    Fiction book (2002)

  • Researchers suggest that the protomammal is a crucial link in the evolution from reptiles to mammals.

Synonyms

therapsid
vsprotomammal
  • Specialized
9.9

An extinct reptile-like animal that is the ancestor of mammals

is a more warm-blooded form showing early fur and mother-care traits

How Mammalian

mammal
198 1.0
protomammal
  • Specialized
9.9
synapsid
  • Specialized
9.9
reptile
111 1.8

Surface Forms

protomammal singular
protomammals plural

Morphology

protomammal = mammal (semi-transparent) = proto + mammal

The meaning is built from 'proto-' meaning first or primitive plus 'mammal', but the combining prefix is somewhat technical and may not be fully transparent to average learners.

Etymology

Protomammal breaks into proto- meaning 'first', as in prototype, and mammal, from a root meaning 'breast', because mammals feed their young with milk, so you can think of it as an early 'first' mammal. So, a protomammal is an early, now extinct animal that shows mammal features and stands at the start of the mammal family.