Gomphos elkema was an early lagomorph – closely related to the ancestors of modern rabbits, hares, and pikas – that lived during the Early Eocene, about 56-47 million years ago, in what is now Mongolia and northern China.
Around 20cm long (~8″), it had some anatomical features surprisingly similar to modern rabbits and hares, such as long feet and hindlimbs capable of hopping. But unlike its modern relatives it also had a longer tail, and more “primitive” features in its jaw and teeth that link it to lagomorphs’ shared ancestry with rodents.
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