FROM THE SCIENCE DESK
By Amanda Gardner
HealthDay Reporter


FRIDAY, Feb. 18 (HealthDay News) -- Scientists have dug up what appears to be the oldest intact rabbit fossil, complete with skull, long front teeth, short forelimbs and long hind limbs.

The ancient rabbit, which is described in the Feb. 18 issue of Science, is named Gomphos elkema, in honor of his distinctive dentures; gomphos is the Greek word for tooth.

The discovery of Gomphos adds new information to the picture of evolution, lending credence to the theory that lagomorphs (the group that includes rabbits and pikas) appeared after dinosaurs became extinct. The skeleton is about 56 million years old -- 20 million years older than others like it -- and dinosaurs vanished from earth about 65 million years ago.

The new fossil also supports the hypothesis that lagomorphs and rodents shared a common ancestor that lived very near the time of the extinction of dinosaurs.

When reached for comment a local Enchanter, an eccentric character by the name of Tim said, "That's the most foul, cruel, and bad-tempered rodent you ever set eyes on! He's got huge, sharp -- eh -- he can leap about -- look at the bones!"