Palaeoryctes

Palaeoryctes (Greek: "old" (palaeos), "digger" (oryctes) ) is an extinct genus of mammal from Middle to Late Palaeocene of North America.

Palaeoryctes resembled a modern shrew, being slender and sharp-nosed, with typical insectivore teeth. It was around 12.5 cm long, and weighed around 20 to 60 g. The molars of Palaeoryctes had little function other than piercing.