| Ailuravus Temporal range: 48.6–37.2 Ma PreꞒ Ꞓ O S D C P T J K Pg N | |
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| Ailuravus macrurus skeleton | |
Scientific classification 
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| Domain: | Eukaryota |
| Kingdom: | Animalia |
| Phylum: | Chordata |
| Class: | Mammalia |
| Order: | Rodentia |
| Suborder: | Sciuromorpha |
| Infraorder: | Protrogomorpha |
| Family: | †Ischyromyidae |
| Subfamily: | †Ailuravinae |
| Genus: | †Ailuravus Rütimeyer, 1891 |
| Species | |
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Ailuravus is a genus of prehistoric rodents in the family Ischyromyidae.
Ailuravus macrurus
Ailuravus macrurus ("big-tailed cat-ancestor") was a primitive, squirrel-like rodent, one of the earliest known rodents, from the Messel pit Lagerstätte, in Germany. It lived during the Eocene period of Europe, in forests, and may have been arboreal. Furthermore, this species was discovered to have inhabited South Asia, specifically India. This was found through the comparison of the teeth found from each organism from both places. Due to this discovery, there is thought to be a connection between South Asia and Europe before they were separated and shifted into continents. In India, Ailuravus macrurus are thought to have inhabited the Cambay Basin, so they most likely preferred to live near aquatic regions along with fish species.
References
- "†Ailuravus Rütimeyer 1891 (rodent)". Fossilworks. Gateway to the Paleobiology Database. Retrieved 1 July 2019.
- "†subfamily Ailuravinae Michaux 1968 (rodent)". Fossilworks. Gateway to the Paleobiology Database. Retrieved 1 July 2019.
- "†family Ischyromyidae Alston 1876 (rodent)". Fossilworks. Gateway to the Paleobiology Database. Retrieved 1 July 2019.
| Taxon identifiers | |
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| Ailuravus | |
 | This article about a prehistoric rodent is a stub. You can help Misplaced Pages by expanding it. |
- Rana, R. S., Kumar, K., Escarguel, G., Sahni, A., Rose, K. D., Smith, T., Singh, H., & Singh, L. (2008). An ailuravine rodent from the lower eocene cambay formation at vastan, western india, and its palaeobiogeographic implications. Acta Palaeontologica Polonica