''Paschatherium'' is a small extinct mammal of the Perissodactyla order, with an insectivore-like dentition. Its morphology indicates an arboreal form, adapted climbing and running on trees. ''Paschatherium'' must have been extremely numerous in the latest

Paleocene The Paleocene, ( ) or Palaeocene, is a geological epoch that lasted from about 66 to 56 million years ago (mya). It is the first epoch of the Paleogene Period in the modern Cenozoic Era. The name is a combination of the Ancient Greek ''pal ...

and earliest

Eocene The Eocene ( ) Epoch is a geological epoch that lasted from about 56 to 33.9 million years ago (mya). It is the second epoch of the Paleogene Period in the modern Cenozoic Era. The name ''Eocene'' comes from the Ancient Greek (''ēṓs'', " ...

of Europe, since it makes up the majority of all mammal fossils in some fossil sites. ''Paschatherium'' has been viewed as a possible ancestor of our modern

elephant Elephants are the largest existing land animals. Three living species are currently recognised: the African bush elephant, the African forest elephant, and the Asian elephant. They are the only surviving members of the family Elephantidae ...

sea cow The Sirenia (), commonly referred to as sea-cows or sirenians, are an order of fully aquatic, herbivorous mammals that inhabit swamps, rivers, estuaries, marine wetlands, and coastal marine waters. The Sirenia currently comprise two distinct f ...

s and hyraxes.. However, a 2014 cladistic analysis places it within stem perissodactyls.

References

{{Taxonbar, from=Q7141799 Paleocene mammals Eocene genus extinctions Condylarths Paleogene mammals of Europe Fossil taxa described in 1963 Prehistoric placental genera