Palaeoryctes

{{Short description|Extinct genus of mammals}}

{{Automatic taxobox

|fossil_range = {{fossil_range|62.4|53.4}} middle Paleocene to early Eocene

|image = Palaeoryctes jepseni.jpg

|image_caption = Palaeoryctes jepseni
lower jaw fragment

|display_parents = 4

|taxon = Palaeoryctes

|authority = Matthew, 1913

|type_species = †Palaeoryctes puercensis

|type_species_authority = Matthew, 1913

|subdivision_ranks = Species

|subdivision =

• †P. cruoris {{small|(Gunnell, 1994)}}G. F. Gunnell (1994.) [https://www.tandfonline.com/doi/abs/10.1080/02724634.1994.10011540 "Paleocene mammals and faunal analysis of the Chappo Type Locality (Tiffanian), Green River Basin, Wyoming."] Journal of Vertebrate Paleontology 14(1):81-104
• †P. jepseni {{small|(Bloch, 2004)}}J. I. Bloch, R. Secord and P. D. Gingerich (2004.) [https://deepblue.lib.umich.edu/handle/2027.42/48672 "Systematics and phylogeny of late Paleocene and early Eocene Palaeoryctinae (Mammalia, Insectivora) from the Clarks Fork Basin, Wyoming."] Contributions from the Museum of Paleontology, University of Michigan 31(5):119-154
• †P. minimus {{small|(Gheerbrant, 1992)}}E. Gheerbrant (1992.) [https://www.schweizerbart.de/papers/pala/detail/A224/71466/Les_Mammiferes_paleocenes_du_Bassin_dOuarzazate_Maroc_I_Introduction_generale_et_palaeoryctidae "Les mammifères paléocènes du Bassin d'Ouarzazate (Maroc). I.Introduction générale et Palaeoryctidae."] Palaeontographica Abteilung A 224(3-6):67-132
• †P. puercensis {{small|(Matthew, 1913)}}W. D. Matthew (1913.) [https://digitallibrary.amnh.org/items/3ae7ac43-67e1-4ed0-b52b-79d41e6f0ae2 "A zalambdodont insectivore from the basal Eocene."] Bulletin of the American Museum of Natural History, 32: 307-314.
• †P. punctatus {{small|(Van Valen, 1966)}}L. Van Valen (1966.) [https://digitallibrary.amnh.org/handle/2246/1126 "Deltatheridia, a new order of Mammals."] Bulletin of the American Museum of Natural History {{page|date=|volume=132|issue=1|pages=1–126}}

|synonyms =

}}

Palaeoryctes ("ancient digger"){{cite web |title=Glossary. American Museum of Natural History |url=https://research.amnh.org/paleontology/perissodactyl/concepts/glossary |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20211120123130/https://research.amnh.org/paleontology/perissodactyl/concepts/glossary |archive-date=20 November 2021}} is an extinct paraphyletic genus of mammals from paraphyletic subfamily Palaeoryctinae within family Palaeoryctidae, that lived in North America and Africa from middle Paleocene to early Eocene.

Palaeoryctes resembled a modern shrew, being slender and sharp-nosed, with typical insectivore teeth. It was around {{convert|12.5|cm|in}} long, and weighed around {{convert|20|to|60|g|oz}}. The molars of Palaeoryctes had little function other than piercing.{{cite book |editor=Palmer, D.|year=1999 |title= The Marshall Illustrated Encyclopedia of Dinosaurs and Prehistoric Animals|publisher= Marshall Editions|location=London|page= 212|isbn= 1-84028-152-9}}