Mammalian Evolution Across the Palaeocene–Eocene Transition in Central Asia

Abstract

During the last two decades, studies in central Asia, and mainly in Inner Mongolia, have greatly improved our understanding of the palaeontology, biochronology, and environmental changes across the Palaeocene–Eocene transition in the region. Among numerous fossil mammals, discoveries of important taxa of perissodactyls, lagomorphs, rodents, and primates provide additional age calibrations for mammalian divergences, and indicate that several placental mammal orders emerged at the beginning of the Eocene. These recently reported species provide important morphological features that help to understand the evolution of their lineages. Collectively, the faunal compositions show that mammalian faunal evolution in central Asia was probably affected by global environmental changes across the Palaeocene–Eocene transition.