University of Arizona

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As of September 2026: Contributing institution; home of study co-author Shawn Zack

For 38 years, zhelestids were known only from molars that looked like the plant-grinding teeth of hoofed mammals. That led paleontologists to place them near the origin of placental mammals, the group that includes humans. A nearly complete skeleton from Mongolia's Gobi Desert now shows those molars were misleading.

Updated Sep 28