Cimolestes ("chalk robber")[1] is a genus of early eutherians with a full complement of teeth adapted for eating insects and other small animals. Paleontologists have disagreed on its relationship to other mammals, in part because quite different animals were assigned to the genus, making Cimolestes a grade taxon of animals with similar features rather than a genus of closely related ones. Fossils have been found in North America, where they first appeared during the Late Cretaceous. According to some paleontologists, they died out at the start of the Paleocene,[2] while others report the genus from the early Eocene.[3]
Most species have been described from teeth and isolated fragments. One complete articulated skeleton provisionally assigned to Cimolestes has been found. It shows a small, agile, tree-dwelling predator with long toes for grasping branches and a prehensile tail at least twice the length of its body. It has the largest number of tail vertebrae known in any mammal.[3]
Cimolestes has been suggested to play 24 roles. Click below to see other actors suggested for each role, and vote for who you think would play the role best.
