Palaeolagus
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| Palaeolagus Fossil range: Oligocene |
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Palaeolagus ('ancient hare') is an extinct genus of lagomorph.
The 25 cm (10 in) long creature closely resembled modern rabbits, but its shorter hind legs indicated it wasn't able to hop. Lagomorphs (organisms of the order lagomorpha) have two pairs of gnawing teeth (incisors), one immediately behind the other, in the upper jaws compared to a single pair in rodents. The chewing action is also different between the two groups, in lagomorphs the jaws work sideways and in rodents, the jaws work backward and forward. Palaeolagus was similar in appearance to the modern rabbit except its hind legs were proportionally shorter which suggests that they were more adapted for scampering, similar to a ground squirrel, than hopping. Palaeolagus grew to lengths of about 10 inches[1].
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