It was the name a genus of prehistoric mammals. They belonged to the Cimolesta Order. It means "white clay thief." They were mammals that existed in North America and Europe, in the Eocene. They were characterized by developed tusks, but were herbivores. One example was the Coryphodon (which looked like a dwarf hippo from North America) and another the Kopidodon (which was a giant squirrel that existed in Germany). They are considered ancestors of carnivores and pangolins. Due to the great diversity of the Order, some authors have tried to define as Cimolestes only the Didelphodonta insectivores.
