Neha Patil (Editor)

Dinosorex

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Kingdom
  
Animalia

Class
  
Mammalia

Family
  
Heterosoricidae

Phylum
  
Chordata

Order
  
Eulipotyphla

Genus
  
Dinosorex Engesser, 1972

Similar
  
Prolagus oeningensis, Amphechinus, Eulipotyphla, Long‑tailed mole, Gymnure

Dinosorex is an extinct eulipotyphlan genus, popularly referred to as giant terror shrews due to their fearsome lower incisors. Dinosorex lived in Europe from the late Oligocene or early Miocene to the late Miocene, with a range that stretched from Ukraine to Iberia. It was about the size of a modern hedgehog, but its enlarged and strengthened incisors (which have been found to contain iron particles within the enamel) may have allowed it to adopt a partially carnivorous diet, as opposed to the strictly insectivorous diet of most modern mammals of that size.

Taxonomy

The genus was described in 1972 by B. Engesser. It comprises the following species:

  • D. anatolicus
  • D. engesseri
  • D. huerzeleri
  • D. pachygnathus
  • D. sansaniensis
  • D. zapfei
  • References

    Dinosorex Wikipedia