Metazoica back-up

This is a highly unusual family of mammals. They very closely resemble the true shrews that are around today. However, their lifestyle is very different from what we know of modern shrews. They are small animals, equipped with sharp teeth, and claws that are longer and more curved than they are in modern shrews. The eyes are somewhat larger. The ears in most species are small and round, as they are in modern shrews. The body is rather elongate, and the legs are short. The tail in most species is mouselike, covered in mostly very fine hair. They are diurnal animals and found mostly in bushy areas, where they have access to bower rat nests. The reason being is because these shrews are parasites of bower rats. Much like today's cuckoo birds, these shrews slip into the nests of bower rats and eat the newborn baby rats, and replace them with their own babies, to be raised unwittingly by the parent rats. The saliva of these shrews is specially designed to mimic the scent of the baby rode...

The Metazoic family of tenrecs is basically an offshoot of today's tenrec family. Only I have renamed it Centetidae. The modern family of tenrecs goes to 20 million years in the Metazoic, and then this family takes over. They are basically small, and only a few have spines, like hedgehogs. All species have tails, but the length varies from one species to another. The feet are like those of modern tenrecs and are equipped with claws that are sharp and curved. One species even has retractable claws, which they use for climbing trees. These animals are insectivores, but prey up to the size of small rodents can be taken. Most species are diurnal, but there are some that retains their ancient nocturnal habits. Habitat varies by species. Some live in burrows, some even live in caves. Some are tree dwellers, and some inhabit watery areas. They are equipped with sharp teeth, which in some cases can be used for defense. But most of the time, they are simply quick movers in the underbru...