''Paracimexomys'' is a genus of extinct

mammal Mammals () are a group of vertebrate animals constituting the class Mammalia (), characterized by the presence of mammary glands which in females produce milk for feeding (nursing) their young, a neocortex (a region of the brain), fur or ...

s in the extinct Multituberculata order. ''Paracimexomys'' lived during the Cretaceous period. The few fossils remains come from

North America North America is a continent in the Northern Hemisphere and almost entirely within the Western Hemisphere. It is bordered to the north by the Arctic Ocean, to the east by the Atlantic Ocean, to the southeast by South America and the Car ...

. Some Romanian fossils were also tentatively assigned to this genus, though that classification now seems doubtful. The genus ''Paracimexomys'' ("beside ''

Cimexomys ''Cimexomys'' is an extinct North American mammal that lived from the Upper Cretaceous to the Paleocene. For a while, it shared the world with dinosaurs, but outlived them. It was a member of the extinct order Multituberculata and lies within t ...

''") was named by Archibald J.D. in 1982. ''Paracimexomys'' fossils were originally referred to as ''Cimexomys'', until it was realized they were different enough to justify a genus of their own.

Species

* ''Paracimexomys magister'' also known as ''Cimexomys magister''- Remains were found in the Upper

Santonian The Santonian is an age in the geologic timescale or a chronostratigraphic stage. It is a subdivision of the Late Cretaceous Epoch or Upper Cretaceous Series. It spans the time between 86.3 ± 0.7 mya (million years ago) and 83.6 ± 0.7 mya. The ...

(Upper Cretaceous) of Utah, USA. The animal probably weighed about 100g when it was alive. * ''Paracimexomys magnus'' also known as ''Cimexomys magnus''- were found in the Campanian (Upper Cretaceous) strata of the Judith River Formation in Montana, USA. * ''Paracimexomys priscus''- Fossil remains were found in the Maastrichtian (Upper Cretaceous) of Hell Creek, Montana. Remains were first found in 1966. The holotype is in the collection of the University of Alberta, where the name ''Cimexomys'' is favoured. Weight is estimated to have been 60g.

Misassigned species

* ''Paracimexomys crossi''- Remains have been found in the Middle Cretaceous (Upper

Aptian The Aptian is an age in the geologic timescale or a stage in the stratigraphic column. It is a subdivision of the Early or Lower Cretaceous Epoch or Series and encompasses the time from 121.4 ± 1.0 Ma to 113.0 ± 1.0 Ma (million years ago), a ...

to lower Albian) Antlers Formation of

Oklahoma Oklahoma (; Choctaw language, Choctaw: ; chr, ᎣᎧᎳᎰᎹ, ''Okalahoma'' ) is a U.S. state, state in the South Central United States, South Central region of the United States, bordered by Texas on the south and west, Kansas on the nor ...

, USA. Based on a tiny tooth, this was the first reported Oklahoma Mesozoic mammal. It's also the oldest known member of the informal Paracimexomys group. The species' name honours the prison officer Bobby Cross, who has found this and other fossils. * ''Paracimexomys perplexus''- Found in the late Albian to early

Cenomanian The Cenomanian is, in the ICS' geological timescale, the oldest or earliest age of the Late Cretaceous Epoch or the lowest stage of the Upper Cretaceous Series. An age is a unit of geochronology; it is a unit of time; the stage is a unit in the s ...

(Upper Cretaceous) in the Cedar Mountain Formation of Utah. * ''Paracimexomys robisoni''- Found in the Middle Cretaceous strata of the Cedar Mountain Formation of Utah. This type of fossil can be found in the Oklahoma Museum of Natural History. This mouse-sized animal weighed about 25g. * ''Paracimexomys bestia'' is now the type species of ''

Cedaromys ''Cedaromys'' ("Cedar mouse") is an extinct mammal which lived during the Upper Cretaceous, at the same time as many dinosaurs. It was a member of the also extinct order of Multituberculata. It's within the suborder of Cimolodonta, and a possible ...

''.

Species

Misassigned species

References

Further reading