Borealestes

Borealestes is a genus of docodontan from the Middle Jurassic of Britain, first discovered on the Isle of Skye near the village of Elgol. It was the earliest mammaliaform from the Mesozoic found and named in Scotland. A second species and was later found in other Middle Jurassic sites in England, but is now shown to be a different genus. A new species, B. cuillinensis was named in 2021, also from Skye.

==Etymology== The genus name is derived from the Greek Boreas and Latin Boreal, meaning northern, the Greek listís meaning brigand or rogue. The specific name of B. serendipitus comes from the noun serendipity, relating to making a happy and unexpected discovery by accident. The species name B. cuillinensis comes from the Cuillin mountains on Skye, which are near the discovery site, and the cusps of the teeth resemble the peaks of the mountains.