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Maybe Apternodus is an extinct hedgehog. Maybe an extinct shrew.

Sunday, October 18, 2026 0:25

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Maybe both.
This will not be tested and (hopefully) decided until Monday.

So place your bets over the weekend.

Earlier
Eocene-Oligocene Apternodus (Figs 1, 2) nested with Scutisorex the extant shrew (Fig 1) in the large reptile tree (LRT, 2340 taxa). That seemed logical at the time.

Today’s question is: Is this a valid sister taxon interrelationship?
There might be a competing sister (Fig 2).

Figure 1. Apternodus and Scutisorex to scale. The similarities are strong here. Note the anteriorly leaning occiput, lack of a zygomatic arch and polyprotodont dentary incisor.

Apternodus has bulbous cheek teeth
similar to those of sauropterygian placodonts – by convergence – and an upturned premaxilla. At present, those teeth are unique in the mammal subset of the LRT. The dentary presents polyprotodonty = rodent-like incisor, as in Scutisorex (Fig 1).

Maybe it’s those teeth, but Apternodus has been a nagging wild card in scoring the LRT.

Today, comparing extinct Apternodus
to the extant lesser hedgehog Hemiechinus (Fig 2) presents an interesting alternative = competing sister taxon possibility. Both share a rare anterior leaning occiput and more common polyprotodont dentary incisor (Fig 2) as in Scutisorex (Fig 1).

Figure 2. Apternodus compared to the lesser hedgehog, Hemiechinus. Note the large number of similar trait and overall size. The zygomatic arch may be missing due to taphonomy, not phylogeny.

You’ll note the DGS colors have shifted
for Apternodus from figure 1 to figure 2. This reflects the human factor = trying to match traits to another taxon while learning what is what today vs several years ago (Fig 1).

Remember, there is no instruction manual. Frustration mingles daily with insight as this vexing problem = the mammal subset of the LRT has now been under scrutiny for 2.5 years, much longer than any other subset.

References
Asher RJ et al (4 co-authors) 2002. Morphology and relationships of Apternodus and other extinct, zalambdodont, placental mammals. Bulletin of the AMNH 273:1–117.
Matthew WD 1903. The fauna of the Titanotherium Beds at Pipestone Springs, Montana. Bulletin of the American Museum of Natural History 19(6):197–226.

wiki/Scutisorex
wiki/Apternodus – not yet posted

Source: https://pterosaurheresies.wordpress.com/2026/10/18/maybe-apternodus-is-an-extinct-hedgehog-maybe-an-extinct-shrew/

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