Re: "Neomammals" (arising out of Neoaves discussion)

[Tommy Tyrberg <tommy.tyrberg@norrkoping.mail.telia.com>]

At 12:00 2006-08-14, David Marjanovic wrote:
> > "We'll probably have a complete *Toxodon* mitochondrial
> > genome before we'll have the first serious-sized
> > morphological placental analysis in history."
> > Is this just general speculation, or is there a project afoot to sequence 
> > Toxodon material (some of which is comparable in date to the Neandertal 
> > stuff Svante P[ää]bo gets in the news for doing).
>
> No, no, that's just general speculation.
>
> > I certainly  hope such a project is carried out.
>
> You are taking the words right out of my mouth!


There are actually quite a few extinct high-level taxa that are potentially 
within range for sequencing, i e became extinct in the Late Pleistocene or 
Holocene. These are the ones I can think of:

Mammals:

Diprotodontidae
Thylacoleonidae
Palorchestidae
Megatheriidae
Mylodontidae
Macraucheniidae
Toxodontidae
Mesotheriidae
Gompotheriidae
Mammutidae
Stegodontidae

Birds

Aepyornithidae
Aptornithidae
Teratornithidae
Dromornithidae
Dinornithidae
Anomalopterygidae

Most of these should be recoverable. I do know that there are ongoing 
efforts to recover Teratornis DNA. I agree that 
Macraucheniidae/Toxodontidae/Mesotheriidae are probably the most 
interesting ones.


A few more families did survive into the Early Pleistocene, but their DNA 
is probably beyond recovery:

Chalicotheriidae
Deinotheridae

Palaeolodidae
Pelagornithidae


Tommy Tyrberg