Batodonoides vanhouteni

Batodonoides vanhouteni; Temporal range: Eocene, 53 Ma PreꞒ Ꞓ O S D C P T J K Pg N ↓
Scientific classification
Kingdom:	Animalia
Phylum:	Chordata
Class:	Mammalia
Order:	Eulipotyphla
Family:	Geolabididae
Genus:	Batodonoides; Novacek 1976
Species:	B. vanhouteni
Binomial name
	Batodonoides vanhouteni; Bloch et al. 1998

Batodonoides vanhouteni is an extinct shrew-like mammal, thought to be the smallest mammal that ever lived. Based on the size of its molar teeth, it is estimated that Batodonoides vanhouteni weighed only 0.93–1.82 grams (0.033–0.064 oz) (with 1.3 g (0.046 oz) most likely). They lived about 53 million years ago during the early Eocene Epoch in North America.[1] The species is a member of the Order Eulipotyphla.

The fossilized remains of a juvenile, consisting of a mandible and some teeth, were discovered in 1998 in Wyoming in 53-million-year-old rocks. Another member of the genus is known from California, also from the Early Eocene.

References

Bloch, Jonathan I.; Rose, Kenneth D.; Gingerich, Philip D. (1998). "New Species of Batodonoides (Lipotyphla, Geolabididae) from the Early Eocene of Wyoming: Smallest Known Mammal?". Journal of Mammalogy. 79 (3): 804–827. doi:10.2307/1383090. JSTOR 1383090.

External links

Teeth of B. vanhouteni from the University of California Museum of Paleontology

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[Bloch1998-1] Bloch, Jonathan I.; Rose, Kenneth D.; Gingerich, Philip D. (1998). "New Species of Batodonoides (Lipotyphla, Geolabididae) from the Early Eocene of Wyoming: Smallest Known Mammal?". Journal of Mammalogy. 79 (3): 804–827. doi:10.2307/1383090. JSTOR 1383090.