In a recent paper published in Palaeobiodiversity and Palaeoenvironments, KLI Hans Przibram fellow Anne Le Maître, in collaboration with two paleontologists from the University of Vienna and the Goethe University Frankfurt, investigated the morphology of the ear, a sensory organ involved in both hearing and balance functions. They demonstrated that in extant rodents, inner and middle ear shape mainly reflects locomotory behavior. Then, they applied these findings to reconstruct the locomotion of selected fossil rodents. They found that the oldest, most basal species were fossorial. Later during rodent evolution, arboreal behavior evolved several times independently. According to their findings, gliding behavior appeared only once, within one of the arboreal lineages.

Publication:

Pfaff C, Ruf I, Le Maître A. (2026). Glimpse into the past: Analyses of the middle and inner ear of extinct rodents (Eusciurida; Rodentia; Mammalia) with implications for their locomotory behavior. Palaeobiodiversity and Palaeoenvironments. https://doi.org/10.1007/s12549-026-00712-6