Palaeoryctes

Palaeoryctes Temporal range: 62.4–53.4  Ma PreꞒ Ꞓ O S D C P T J K Pg N middle Paleocene to early Eocene
Palaeoryctes jepseni lower jaw fragment
Scientific classification
Kingdom:	Animalia
Phylum:	Chordata
Class:	Mammalia
Infraclass:	Placentalia (?)
Order:	† Palaeoryctida
Family:	† Palaeoryctidae
Subfamily:	† Palaeoryctinae
Genus:	† Palaeoryctes Matthew, 1913
Type species
†Palaeoryctes puercensis Matthew, 1913
Species
†P. cruoris(Gunnell, 1994) [1] †P. jepseni(Bloch, 2004) [2] †P. minimus(Gheerbrant, 1992) [3] †P. puercensis(Matthew, 1913) [4] †P. punctatus(Van Valen, 1966) [5]

Palaeoryctes ("ancient digger") ^[6] is an extinct paraphyletic genus of mammals from paraphyletic subfamily Palaeoryctinae within family Palaeoryctidae, that lived in North America and Africa from middle Paleocene to early Eocene.

Palaeoryctes resembled a modern shrew, being slender and sharp-nosed, with typical insectivore teeth. It was around 12.5 centimetres (4.9 in) long, and weighed around 20 to 60 grams (0.71 to 2.12 oz). The molars of Palaeoryctes had little function other than piercing. ^[7]

References

1. G. F. Gunnell (1994.) "Paleocene mammals and faunal analysis of the Chappo Type Locality (Tiffanian), Green River Basin, Wyoming." Journal of Vertebrate Paleontology 14(1):81-104
2. J. I. Bloch, R. Secord and P. D. Gingerich (2004.) "Systematics and phylogeny of late Paleocene and early Eocene Palaeoryctinae (Mammalia, Insectivora) from the Clarks Fork Basin, Wyoming." Contributions from the Museum of Paleontology, University of Michigan 31(5):119-154
3. E. Gheerbrant (1992.) "Les mammifères paléocènes du Bassin d'Ouarzazate (Maroc). I.Introduction générale et Palaeoryctidae." Palaeontographica Abteilung A 224(3-6):67-132
4. W. D. Matthew (1913.) "A zalambdodont insectivore from the basal Eocene." Bulletin of the American Museum of Natural History, 32: 307-314.
5. L. Van Valen (1966.) "Deltatheridia, a new order of Mammals." Bulletin of the American Museum of Natural History Palaeoryctes
6. "Glossary. American Museum of Natural History". Archived from the original on 20 November 2021.
7. Palmer, D., ed. (1999). The Marshall Illustrated Encyclopedia of Dinosaurs and Prehistoric Animals. London: Marshall Editions. p. 212. ISBN   1-84028-152-9.