Bienotherium

Bienotherium is an extinct genus of tritylodontid cynodonts, mammals that lived during the Early Cretaceous period. Fossils of Bienotherium have been found in Asia, specifically in China. This herbivorous creature was a member of a group of advanced cynodonts that survived the extinction of most other non-mammalian synapsids.

Tritylodontids like Bienotherium are characterized by their distinctive molar teeth, which have three parallel rows of cusps, hence the name "tritylodont." These teeth were well-suited for grinding tough plant material, indicating a herbivorous diet. Bienotherium possessed a relatively small body size, though precise dimensions are difficult to determine from incomplete fossil remains.

The discovery of Bienotherium and other tritylodontids provides important insights into the diversity and evolution of mammals during the Mesozoic Era. Despite the dominance of dinosaurs, these shrew-like mammals occupied various ecological niches. Bienotherium represents a lineage of early mammals that coexisted with, and survived alongside, the dinosaurs, eventually contributing to the mammalian radiation that followed the Cretaceous-Paleogene extinction event. Its fossil record helps paleontologists understand the evolutionary relationships and adaptations of early mammals.