Once classified as Glires, features like epipubic bones and various cranial elements have identified these animals as outside of Placentalia, representing thus a specialised clade of non-placental eutherians without any living descendants, and potentially rather different from modern placentals in at least reproductive anatomy.

[1][2] The exact position of Zalambdalestidae within Eutheria varies, though they are generally agreed to be more basal than zhelestids.

[3] Currently, the clade includes the genera Alymlestes, Anchilestes, Barunlestes, Kulbeckia, Prozalambdalestes, Zalambdalestes, Zhangolestes and Zofialestes.

They are uniquely suited to a saltatorial, cursorial lifestyle, bearing long, semi-digitigrade limbs and a spinal column similar to that of modern lagomorphs.

[5] Like most non-placental mammals, the presence of epipubic bones probably meant that they gave birth to poorly developed young much like modern marsupials and monotremes, though a study on multituberculate reproduction may suggest they and other early eutherians reproduced like modern placentals.