Lesmesodon ("tooth from Messel") is an extinct genus of placental mammals from extinct clade Proviverrinae within extinct superfamily Hyaenodontoidea (in extinct order Hyaenodonta), that lived during the Early to Middle Eocene. It was found in France and in the Messel Pit in Germany.

Description

Lesmesodon was a weasel-sized mammal.

Palaeobiology

Palaeoecology

Lesmesodon has a chewing cycle and pattern of tooth occlusion similar to modern insectivorous predators, and was most likely also an insectivore.

Life history

As it grew, Lesmesodon replaced its dP2 after the eruption of its M1 and M2, which is the ancestral condition in Hyaenodonta.