Batodonoides vanhouteni
Encyclopedia
Batodonoides vanhouteni is an extinct shrew-like mammal, thought to be the smallest mammal that ever lived. Based on the size of its molar
teeth, it is estimated that Batodonoides vanhouteni weighed only 0.93 gram (with 1.3 g (0.0458561507366456 oz) most likely). They lived about 53 million years ago during the early Eocene
Epoch in North America.
The species is a member of the Order Insectivora
.
The fossilized remains of a juvenile, consisting of a mandible and some teeth, were discovered in 1998 in Wyoming in 53 million year old rocks. Another member of the genus is known from California, also from the Early Eocene.
Molar (tooth)
Molars are the rearmost and most complicated kind of tooth in most mammals. In many mammals they grind food; hence the Latin name mola, "millstone"....
teeth, it is estimated that Batodonoides vanhouteni weighed only 0.93 gram (with 1.3 g (0.0458561507366456 oz) most likely). They lived about 53 million years ago during the early Eocene
Eocene
The Eocene Epoch, lasting from about 56 to 34 million years ago , is a major division of the geologic timescale and the second epoch of the Paleogene Period in the Cenozoic Era. The Eocene spans the time from the end of the Palaeocene Epoch to the beginning of the Oligocene Epoch. The start of the...
Epoch in North America.
The species is a member of the Order Insectivora
Insectivora
The order Insectivora is a now-abandoned biological grouping within the class of mammals...
.
The fossilized remains of a juvenile, consisting of a mandible and some teeth, were discovered in 1998 in Wyoming in 53 million year old rocks. Another member of the genus is known from California, also from the Early Eocene.