The “Name Your Ancestor” contest resulted in more than 1,000 name suggestions for the hypothetical common placental ancestor that scientists described last month. The top 32 contestants, as selected by the Museum and WNYC’s Radiolab, range from serious to silly. Starting today, we need your help to pick the winning moniker for this small, furry, insect-eating mammal. 

This month, a team of international researchers led by the American Museum of Natural History and Stony Brook University determined in unprecedented detail what the earliest ancestor of placental mammals—the widely diverse group of animals ranging from whales to bats to humans—looked like.  The Museum is teaming up with WNYC’s Radiolab to sponsor a tournament to name this early ancestor. Want to enter? 

A small, furry-tailed, insect-eating creature was the earliest ancestor of placental mammals—a widely diverse group of animals ranging from bats to humans—according to a new study in the journal Science by a team of international scientists, including a core group of Museum researchers.