On the left is Maelestes gobiensis; on the right is a living hairy-tailed mole Parascalops breweri. Maelestes was comparable in size to the mole (40 to 80 grams), but had a more shrew-like lifestyle. Note that the skull of Maelestes has more room for teeth that the mole does, and in fact, Maelestes had even more teeth than shown, as the bone holding the upper incisors is missing. (Image: John Wible/CMNH)
THE mammalian ancestors of both mice and men scurried under the feet of the dinosaurs.
According to the fossil record, our ancestors didn’t split into modern groups of…
