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Science 9 April 1982:
Vol. 216. no. 4542, pp. 183 - 185
DOI: 10.1126/science.216.4542.183
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Articles

Locomotion in Moles (Insectivora, Proscalopidae) from the Middle Tertiary of North America

ANTHONY D. BARNOSKY 1

1 Department of Geological Sciences, University of Washington, Seattle 98195

The locomotion of proscalopid moles, an extinct group restricted to North America, differed from that of other animals. Analysis of a newly discovered and relatively complete and articulated skeleton shows that the digging technique of proscalopids involved a combination of motions that has not been observed in modern fossorial insectivores. The many anatomical peculiarities of proscalopids are related to their specialized digging technique and justify their assignment to a new family of insectivores, the Proscalopidae.

Submitted on September 11, 1981
Revised on December 17, 1981


THIS ARTICLE HAS BEEN CITED BY OTHER ARTICLES:
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S. S.B Hopkins (2005)
Proc R Soc B 272, 1705-1713
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