Shawn Zack

Paleontologist, study co-author; assistant professor of basic medical sciences at the University of Arizona College of Medicine – Phoenix

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Last updated Sep 28, 2026

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Gobi fossil overturns 40-year classification of the 'Cretaceous rabbit'

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As of September 2026: Study author

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