Description
Location: Brule Formation, Pennington County, South Dakota
Weight: 0.2 Ounces
Dimensions: 0.6 Inches Long, 0.4 Inches Wide, 0.2 Inches Thick
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Oligocene epoch, 33.9 to 23 million years ago
Palaeolagus hayeni is an extinct species of lagomorph, an ancient rabbit, that lived in North America during the Oligocene epoch. It belongs to the genus Palaeolagus, one of the earliest and most primitive groups of lagomorphs, showing traits that link ancestral mammals to modern rabbits and hares.
Most Palaeolagus hayeni fossils are cranial and dental remains, which are key to its identification. Its teeth exhibit typical lagomorph features, such as continuously growing incisors and cheek teeth adapted for grinding fibrous plants. The limb structure suggests it had a more generalized scampering gait rather than the specialized hopping of modern rabbits. Studying Palaeolagus hayeni offers valuable insights into the early evolution and diversification of lagomorphs, helping trace the lineage of today’s rabbits and hares.