Rhynchippus

Rhynchippus
Temporal range: Late Oligocene (Deseadan)
~28.4–23.03 Ma
Rhynchippus equinus (on land) with Pyrotherium romeroi (in water)
Scientific classification
Kingdom: Animalia
Phylum: Chordata
Class: Mammalia
Order: †Notoungulata
Family: †Notohippidae
Genus: †Rhynchippus
Ameghino, 1897
Species
  • R. brasiliensis
  • †?R. equinus
  • R. medianus
  • †?R. pumilus

Rhynchippus is an extinct genus of notoungulate mammal from Late Oligocene (Deseadan in the SALMA classification) South America. Fossils of Rhynchippus have been found in the Sarmiento Formation of Argentina, the Salla and Petaca Formations of Bolivia, and in Brazil.[1]

Description

Rhynchippus was about 1 metre (3.3 ft) in length and weighted up to 120 kilograms (260 lb), with a deep body and three clawed toes on each foot.[2] Although its teeth were extremely similar to those of horses or rhinos, Rhynchippus was actually a relative of Toxodon, having developed teeth suitable for grazing through convergent evolution. Unlike its relatives, Rhynchippus had no large tusks; they were the same size and shape as the incisors. Enamel on the molars allowed it to chew tough food.[3]

References

  1. ↑ Rhynchippus at Fossilworks.org
  2. ↑ D. Patterson, Bruce (2012) Bones, Clones, and Biomes: The History and Geography of Recent Neotropical Mammals p.83
  3. ↑ Palmer, D., ed. (1999). The Marshall Illustrated Encyclopedia of Dinosaurs and Prehistoric Animals. London: Marshall Editions. p. 252. ISBN 1-84028-152-9.


This article is issued from Wikipedia. The text is licensed under Creative Commons - Attribution - Sharealike. Additional terms may apply for the media files.