Petromus

Petromus; Temporal range: Early Pliocene - Recent;
	Dassie rat (Petromus typicus)
Scientific classification
Domain:	Eukaryota
Kingdom:	Animalia
Phylum:	Chordata
Class:	Mammalia
Order:	Rodentia
Family:	Petromuridae
Genus:	Petromus; A. Smith, 1831
Species
	Petromus typicus; †Petromus antiquus; †Petromus minor;

Petromus is a genus of hystricognath rodents that contains the dassie rat (Petromus typicus) of southwestern Africa, the only extant member of this group and the entire family Petromuridae.

Two fossil species are known from the Pliocene, with the oldest being Petromus antiquus of the Early Pliocene.[1]

References

Sénégas, F. (2004). "A New Species of Petromus (Rodentia, Hystricognatha, Petromuridae) from the Early Pliocene of South Africa and Its Paleoenvironmental Implications". Journal of Vertebrate Paleontology. 24 (3): 757–763.

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[1] Sénégas, F. (2004). "A New Species of Petromus (Rodentia, Hystricognatha, Petromuridae) from the Early Pliocene of South Africa and Its Paleoenvironmental Implications". Journal of Vertebrate Paleontology. 24 (3): 757–763.