Anomaluromorpha

Spring Bunny in the Henry Doorly Zoo, Omaha, Nebraska.

• Spring Hare ( Pedetidae )
• Thorn tail squirrel ( Anomaluridae )

The thorn tail squirrel relatives ( Anomaluromorpha ) are a suborder within the rodents. It combines two species-poor, only in central and southern Africa families living together:

• The spring hares ( Pedetidae ) and
• The thorn tail squirrel ( Anomaluridae ).

Both groups were a long time in the scheme of rodents as isolated. The thorn tail squirrel, other than the sliding skin with the Flying Squirrel nothing in common, so that a closer relationship was excluded. For the spring hares, which are similar to the non -rodent species belonging hares in their appearance, falsely a relationship with the jumping mice or porcupines was suspected.

Thorn tail squirrel and spring hares have hardly superficial similarities. Matches were eventually found in the anatomical details of the middle ear and the carotid artery. The hypothesis of a relationship between the two families was initially doubted, since no fossil record that support them. Thanks to molecular genetic analyzes of Montgelard and other this hypothesis is now regarded as certain.

Due to the differences in physique and skeletal remains of ancestors of the spine tail squirrel is thought that both families have developed, probably separated from each other very early in the Eocene. Fossils of a possible common ancestor, however, were not found until today. The newfound Laotian rock rat ( Laonastes aenigmamus ), which is classified according to recent findings in the otherwise extinct family of Diatomyidae, could also belong to this taxon.

The question of how the spike -like tail squirrel can be classified within the scheme of rodents, is still largely unknown.