Batodonoides vanhouteni

Batodonoides vanhouteni Temporal range: Eocene, 53 Ma PreЄ Є O S D C P T J K Pg N ↓
Scientific classification
Kingdom:	Animalia
Phylum:	Chordata
Class:	Mammalia
Order:	Insectivora
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. The species is a member of the Order Insectivora.

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.

External links

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