Birch mouse ancestor discovered in Inner Mongolia is new species of rare 'living fossil'
Tuesday, May 24, 2011 - 16:30
in Paleontology & Archaeology
Fossils from Inner Mongolia are a new species of birch mice, Sicista primus. This significantly extends the geologic history of the rodent family that includes jumping mice. The teeth from sediments 17 million years old distinguish the birch mice genus Sicista as a rare "living fossil" and indicate Sicista migrated from Asia to North America, contrary to what scientists previously hypothesized.