Merychyus

Merychyus is an extinct genus of oreodont of the family Merycoidodontidae, endemic to North America. It lived during the Miocene, 20.4—10.3 mya, existing for approximately 10 million years.[1] Fossils are widespread through the central and western United States.

Merychyus
Temporal range: 20–10 Ma
Miocene
M. elegans fossil, Royal Ontario Museum
Scientific classification
Kingdom: Animalia
Phylum: Chordata
Class: Mammalia
Order: Artiodactyla
Family: †Merycoidodontidae
Genus: †Merychyus
Species

See text

Merychyus was a herbivore with a short face, tusk-like canine teeth, heavy body, long tail, short feet, and four-toed hooves.

Species
  • M. arenarum Cope, 1884
  • M. calaminthus Jahns, 1940
  • M. elegans Leidy, 1858 (type species)
  • M. minimus Peterson, 1907
  • M. relictus Matthew and Cook, 1909
  • M. verrucomalus Stevens, 1970

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