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A Cretaceous Skeleton Overruled the Teeth
The most complete zhelestid fossil yet moved the group away from placental mammals and onto a shrew-like branch.
Summary
The most complete zhelestid fossil yet moved the group away from placental mammals and onto a shrew-like branch.
A Nature study describes Tamirkhan balcarceli, a 6- to 7-inch mammal found in Mongolia's Gobi Desert and represented by a skull and partial skeleton. Its teeth resemble those that had linked zhelestids to placental mammals, but its skull, incisors, legs and ankles place it among zalambdalestoids instead. The result shows how convergent tooth shapes can mislead classifications based on fragments.
Why it matters
The most complete zhelestid fossil yet moved the group away from placental mammals and onto a shrew-like branch.
Limits and context
No additional limitation was separately recorded.
Key claims
The most complete zhelestid fossil yet moved the group away from placental mammals and onto a shrew-like branch.
Evidence: source-2026-07-31-005
Sources
- Stony Brook University via Newswise: Tamirkhan reshapes zhelestid classificationStony Brook University · official announcement
Corrections
No corrections have been recorded for this story.