A very little amount of tiny teeth found in Israel's Negev desert led an international tram of researchers to describe a new species of rodent which has been extinct for nearly 18 million years. The species named Sayimys negevensis.
This discovery sheds new light on the likely dispersal route of mammals and other species between Eurasia and Africa in the Early Miocene and highlights Israel's special paleogeographic position as the lynch-pin of the Levantine corridor connecting Eurassia with North Africa. This species also known as comb-rat. The name of the species comes from the its place of discovery.
During the early Miocene Israel was still more firmly attached to Africa and most of the mammals found there were of African origin. Sayimys negevensis is one of the few species discovered in Israel with Eurasian affinities.
The discovery of the new rodent is part an international focusing on the Early Miocene fauna of Israel and its paleogeographic implications.
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