| Proterix Temporal range:
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|---|---|
Scientific classification 
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| Kingdom: | Animalia |
| Phylum: | Chordata |
| Class: | Mammalia |
| Infraclass: | Placentalia |
| Order: | Eulipotyphla |
| Family: | Erinaceidae |
| Genus: | †Proterix Matthew, 1903 |
| Species | |
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Proterix is an extinct genus of erinaceid mammal from the Late Oligocene to the Early Miocene of North America.
Ecology
Proterix was most likely a burrowing insectivore.1 The original reference suggests reduced limbs may be possible, due to the unusually high number of lumbar vertebrae, but cautions that conclusions must be reserved until a complete skeleton is found.2 This proposal was exaggerated in a popular science book by Dougal Dixon, which speculated that it may have been a limbless mammal with an armored head.3 Though very little of the post-cranial skeleton has been found, this situation is typical for mammals and not an indicator of unusual anatomy.42
References
References
- Macdonald, James Reid (1961). "The lower dentition of Proterix loomisi Matthew?". Journal of Paleontology. 35 (3): 632–633.
- Bjork, Philip R. (1975). "Observations on the morphology of the hedgehog genus Proterix (Insectivora: Erinaceidae)". In Smith, G.R.; Friedland, N.E. (eds.). Studies on Cenozoic Paleontology and Stratigraphy: Claude W. Hibbard Memorial Volume 3 (PDF). Ann Arbor: Museum of Paleontology, University of Michigan. pp. 81–88.
- Dixon, Dougal (2008). World Encyclopedia of Dinosaurs & Prehistoric Creatures. New York: Lorenz Books. p. 447. ISBN 9780754817307.
- Gawne, C.E. (1968). "The genus Proterix (Insectivora, Erinaceidae) of the Upper Oligocene of North America". American Museum Novitates (2315). hdl:2246/2525. Retrieved 19 January 2013.