From a near-complete skull of the genus
Palaeoryctes found in
New Mexico, it is known that palaeoryctids were small,
shrew-like
insectivores with an elongated snout similar to that of the
leptictids. However, in contrast to the latter, little is known about palaeoryctids'
postcranial anatomy (the skeleton without the skull). Where the leptictids were short-lived, the palaeoryctids seem to have been ancestors of
Eocene species. While their dental morphology still indicate a mostly insectivorous diet, it, to some extent, also relate to Eocene carnivores such as
creodonts. == Taxonomy and phylogeny ==