| Leptictis | |
|---|---|
 | |
| Leptictis cf.acutidens | |
Scientific classification | |
| Domain: | Eukaryota |
| Kingdom: | Animalia |
| Phylum: | Chordata |
| Class: | Mammalia |
| Order: | †Leptictida |
| Family: | †Leptictidae |
| Subfamily: | †Leptictinae |
| Genus: | †Leptictis Leidy, 1868 |
| Type species | |
| †Lepticitis haydeni Leidy, 1868 | |
| Species | |
| |
Leptictis is an extinct genus ofleptictid non-placentaleutherianmammal known from theLate Eocene toEarly Oligocene of North America.[1] The type species,L. haydeni, was named in 1868 byJoseph Leidy in honour ofFerdinand Vandeveer Hayden.L. dakotensis was also named by Leidy in 1868, but he originally named it as a separate genus,Ictops, which is now seen as the same animal asLepticitis. Since then, six other species have been named.[2][3] The hind limbs are proportionally elongated compared to their forelimbs similar toelephant shrews, though to a lesser degree thanLeptictidium, and it is suggested that they were capable of rapid bursts of quadrupedal locomotion, unlike the bipedal locomotion suggested forLeptictidium. The forelimbs were likely used for digging.[4]
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