Birbalomys

Birbalomys
Temporal range: Early Eocene–Middle Eocene
Conservation status
Fossil
Scientific classification
Kingdom: Animalia
Phylum: Chordata
Class: Mammalia
Order: Rodentia
Suborder: Hystricomorpha
Family: Chapattimyidae
Genus: Birbalomys
Sahni & Khare, 1973
Species
  • Birbalomys woodi (type)
  • Birbalomys ijlsti
  • Birbalomys sondaari
  • Birbalomys vandermeuleni

Birbalomys is an extinct genus of rodent from Asia.

The 30 centimetres (12 in) long creature has been thought to have been a member of the extant gundi family, but reconstructions of its physical appearance are highly speculative.[1] Some paleontologists consider Birbalomys to be the most primitive true rodent, related to the ancestors of all members of the order Rodentia.

References

  1. ↑ Palmer, D., ed. (1999). The Marshall Illustrated Encyclopedia of Dinosaurs and Prehistoric Animals. London: Marshall Editions. p. 285. ISBN 1-84028-152-9.