Paramys

Paramys
Skeletal reconstruction of Paramys delicatus in the American Museum of Natural History in New York
Temporal occurrence
Eocene
55.8 to 36.6 million years
Locations
North America Eurasia
Systematics
Rodents (Rodentia) Squirrel relatives (Sciuromorpha) Ischyromyoidea Ischyromyidae Paramyinae Paramys
Scientific name
Paramys
Leidy , 1871

Paramys is an extinct genus of rodents from the Eocene of North America, Europe, and Asia. It is one of the earliest known rodents and isassigned tothe Ischyromyidae .

features

Paramys corresponded in size and appearance to the squirrels living today . The legs were adapted for life on the ground as well as in the trees and had well-developed claws, the front legs resembling those of modern tree-living species and the rear legs those of ground-living species. It is therefore believed that Paramys was a generalist and lived in both habitats.

Like other rodents, Paramys had a pair of incisor teeth each in the upper and lower jaw. The molars had hilly crowns and not the furrowed structure found in modern rodents.

Way of life

Paramys fossils , like those of other early rodents, were mainly found in coal or coal-bearing sites. They lived in swampy habitats and tropical rainforests.

Systematics

The genus Paramys is assigned to the extinct family of Ischyromyidae . This is part due to the tooth morphology to the squirrel relatives .

Overall, the genus currently consists of 11 fossil species:

• P. adamus
• P. atavus
• P. copei
• P. delicatior
• P. delicatus
• P. excavatus
• P. hunti
• P. nini
• P. pycnus
• P. simpsoni
• P. taurus

supporting documents

1. ↑ ^{a b c d e} Genre portrait  ( page no longer available , search in web archives )  Info: The link was automatically marked as defective. Please check the link according to the instructions and then remove this notice. at the Denver Museum of Nature and Science.  

Web links

• Genus portrait in the Denver Museum of Nature and Science.