Like this? Named Yanoconodon allini after the Yan Mountains in Hebei, the fossil was unearthed in the fossil-rich beds of the Yixian Formation and is the first Mesozoic mammal recovered from Hebei. The fossil site is about 300 kilometers outside of Beijing. The researchers discovered that the skull of Yanoconodon revealed a middle ear structure that is an intermediate step between those of modern mammals and those of near relatives of mammals, also known as mammaliaforms. "This new fossil offers a rare insight in the evolutionary origin of the mammalian ear structure," said Zhe-Xi Luo, a paleontologist at the Carnegie Museum of Natural History (CMNH) in Pittsburgh, Pa. "Evolution of the ear is important for understanding the origins of key mammalian adaptations. "http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2007/03/070314195448.htm
Not as clear cut as one might think. An article in 2007 pointed out some peculiarities suggesting that it is not a transitional fossil due to traits that were markedly different from it's purported ancestor and an inner ear that resembled monotremes. Prescribing to this as a transitional creature suggests that the inner ear evolved more than once.
Discovery of a 160-Million-Year-Old Fossil Represents a New Milestone in Early Mammal Evolution ScienceDaily (Aug. 24, 2011) — A remarkably well-preserved fossil discovered in northeast China provides new information about the earliest ancestors of most of today's mammal species -- the placental mammals. According to a paper published August 25 in the journal Nature, this fossil represents a new milestone in mammal evolution that was reached 35 million years earlier than previously thought, filling an important gap in the fossil record and helping to calibrate modern, DNA-based methods of dating the evolution.
This one is interesting. But, not sure how it is determined to be anything but a different creature that was created obviously differing significantly from the from what existed in the monotremes at what is believed to exist at 170 million yrs.
Recognize that these dates of 160 million years ago and such are predicated on the evolutionists faith in somewhat of a steady rate of change in the earth which is required for the theory of evolution. Evolution requires time in an attempt to validate that theory. This is in contrast to the faith held by Creationists of Noachian cataclysm. Based on the Creationist perspective, this Jurassic Mother is simply another species but created by intelligent design regardless, caught in the flood event, and buried quickly. Therefore, it cannot be proven to be a transitional creature to Creationists.
