Apatemyidae is an extinct family

Family (biology)

In biological classification, family is* a taxonomic rank. Other well-known ranks are life, domain, kingdom, phylum, class, order, genus, and species, with family fitting between order and genus. As for the other well-known ranks, there is the option of an immediately lower rank, indicated by the...

 of placental mammals that took part in the first placental evolutionary radiation

Evolutionary radiation

An evolutionary radiation is an increase in taxonomic diversity or morphological disparity, due to adaptive change or the opening of ecospace. Radiations may affect one clade or many, and be rapid or gradual; where they are rapid, and driven by a single lineage's adaptation to their environment,...

 together with other early mammals such as the leptictids

Leptictida

Leptictida is an extinct order of placental mammals. According to cladistic studies, they may be related to Euarchontoglires , although they are more often regarded as the first branch to split from basal eutherians.- Description :The leptictids are a characteristic example of the...

.

Common in North America during the Paleocene

Paleocene

The Paleocene or Palaeocene, the "early recent", is a geologic epoch that lasted from about . It is the first epoch of the Palaeogene Period in the modern Cenozoic Era...

, they are also represented in Europe by the genus Jepsenella
They used their strong dentition to dig in the bark of wood and search for insect larvae.