Pholidocercus
| Pholidocercus Temporal range: Early Eocene | |
|---|---|
 | |
| P. hassiacus at the HMNS | |
| Scientific classification | |
| Kingdom: | Animalia |
| Phylum: | Chordata |
| Class: | Mammalia |
| Order: | Erinaceomorpha |
| Family: | Amphilemuridae |
| Genus: | Pholidocercus von Koenigswald and Storch, 1983 |
| Species: | P. hassiacus |
| Binomial name | |
| Pholidocercus hassiacus von Koenigswald and Storch, 1983 | |
Fossil at Museo di Storia Naturale, Milano
Restoration
Pholidocercus is an extinct monotypic genus of mammal related to and resembling the modern-day hedgehog with a single species Pholidocercus hassiacus. Like the hedgehog, it was covered in thin spines. Unlike hedgehogs, it had scales on its head in a helmet-like formation, and had a long, thick, scaled tail. P. hassiacus has been found in the Messel Pit.