Eomys
Encyclopedia
Eomys is an extinct genus
of eomyid
rodent
from the late Oligocene
of France
, Germany
, Spain
, and possibly Turkey
. One species, Eomys quercyi, is the earliest known gliding rodent (Storch et al., 1996).
Genus
In biology, a genus is a low-level taxonomic rank used in the biological classification of living and fossil organisms, which is an example of definition by genus and differentia...
of eomyid
Eomyidae
Eomyidae is a family of extinct rodents from North America and Eurasia related to modern day pocket gophers and kangaroo rats. The family includes the earliest known gliding rodent, Eomys -References:...
rodent
Rodent
Rodentia is an order of mammals also known as rodents, characterised by two continuously growing incisors in the upper and lower jaws which must be kept short by gnawing....
from the late Oligocene
Oligocene
The Oligocene is a geologic epoch of the Paleogene Period and extends from about 34 million to 23 million years before the present . As with other older geologic periods, the rock beds that define the period are well identified but the exact dates of the start and end of the period are slightly...
of France
France
The French Republic , The French Republic , The French Republic , (commonly known as France , is a unitary semi-presidential republic in Western Europe with several overseas territories and islands located on other continents and in the Indian, Pacific, and Atlantic oceans. Metropolitan France...
, Germany
Germany
Germany , officially the Federal Republic of Germany , is a federal parliamentary republic in Europe. The country consists of 16 states while the capital and largest city is Berlin. Germany covers an area of 357,021 km2 and has a largely temperate seasonal climate...
, Spain
Spain
Spain , officially the Kingdom of Spain languages]] under the European Charter for Regional or Minority Languages. In each of these, Spain's official name is as follows:;;;;;;), is a country and member state of the European Union located in southwestern Europe on the Iberian Peninsula...
, and possibly Turkey
Turkey
Turkey , known officially as the Republic of Turkey , is a Eurasian country located in Western Asia and in East Thrace in Southeastern Europe...
. One species, Eomys quercyi, is the earliest known gliding rodent (Storch et al., 1996).
Sources
- Storch G., Engesser, B. and Wuttke, M. 1996. Oldest fossil record of gliding in rodents. Nature 379:439-441.
- After the Dinosaurs: The Age of Mammals (Life of the Past) by Donald R. Prothero
- Vertebrate Palaeontology by Michael J. Benton
- The Beginning of the Age of Mammals by Kenneth D. Rose
- Mammoths, Sabertooths, and Hominids by Jordi Agusti and Mauricio Anton
External links
- Eomys in the Paleobiology DatabasePaleobiology Database' is an online resource for information on the distribution and classification of fossil animals, plants, and microorganisms.-History:The Paleobiology Database was founded in 2000. It has been funded by the National Science Foundation and the Australian Research Council...