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Chalicotherioidea
Chalicotherioidea is an extinct superfamily of clawed perissodactyls (odd-toed ungulates) that lived from the early Eocene to the early Pleistocene subepochs. Based on the fossil record they emerged and thrived largely in Eurasia, although specimens have been found in both Africa and North America. They were likely browsers that fed mainly on leaves, twigs, and other nonresistant vegetation. Many of the contained genera had derived specializations of the forelimb and manus that allowed the claws to be used as hooks for browsing and to be kept off of the ground while walking. Chalicotheres lived primarily in forested areas. Size sexual dimorphism and morphological structures such as the domed skulls of '' Tylocephalonyx'' suggest agonistic behaviour in some sort of social setting. They are related to modern day horses, rhinoceroses, and tapir Tapirs ( ) are large, herbivorous mammals belonging to the family Tapiridae. They are similar in shape to a Suidae, pig, with a short, ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Perissodactyl
Perissodactyla (, ), or odd-toed ungulates, is an order of Ungulate, ungulates. The order includes about 17 living species divided into three Family (biology), families: Equidae (wild horse, horses, Asinus, asses, and zebras), Rhinocerotidae (rhinoceroses), and Tapiridae (tapirs). They typically have reduced the weight-bearing toes to three or one of the five original toes, though tapirs retain four toes on their front feet. The nonweight-bearing toes are either present, absent, Vestigiality, vestigial, or positioned posteriorly. By contrast, Artiodactyl, artiodactyls (even-toed ungulates) bear most of their weight equally on four or two (an even number) of the five toes: their third and fourth toes. Another difference between the two is that perissodactyls digest plant cellulose in their intestines, rather than in one or more stomach chambers as artiodactyls, with the exception of Suina, do. The order was considerably more diverse in the past, with notable extinct groups inclu ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Chalicotheres
Chalicotheriidae (from Ancient Greek ''khálix'', "gravel", and ''theríon'', "beast") is an extinct family of herbivorous, odd-toed ungulate (perissodactyl) mammals that lived in North America, Eurasia, and Africa from the Middle Eocene to the Early Pleistocene. They are often called chalicotheres, a term which is also applied to the broader grouping of Chalicotherioidea. They are noted for their unusual morphology compared to other ungulates, such as their clawed forelimbs. Members of the subfamily Chalicotheriinae developed elongate gorilla-like forelimbs that are thought to have been used to grasp vegetation. They are thought to have been browsers on foliage as well as possibly bark and fruit. History of discovery The first chalicotheres remains discovered were ungual phalanges found near Eppelsheim, Germany in the early 19th century. These remains were considered to belong to gigantic pangolins by Georges Cuvier in 1822 while Johann Jakob Kaup in 1833 alternatively attri ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Moropus
''Moropus'' (meaning "slow foot") is an extinct genus of large perissodactyl mammal in the chalicothere family. They were endemic to North America during the Miocene from ~20.4–13.6 Mya (unit), Mya, existing for approximately . ''Moropus'' belonged to the Schizotheriinae, schizotheriine subfamily of chalicotheres, and has the best fossil record of any member of this group; numbers of individuals, including complete skeletons, have been found. The type species of ''Moropus'', ''M. distans'', was named by Othniel Charles Marsh in 1877, alongside two other species, ''M. elatus'' and ''M. senex''. Three more species have been named since. Others have been named, but have either been invalidated for one reason or another, or reclassified to other genera. Among the largest chalicotheres, some specimens of ''Moropus'' stood at the shoulder. One specimen had an estimated body mass of . Its dental anatomy was similar to Ruminant, ruminants, suggesting a similar method of cropping vegeta ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Ancylopoda
Ancylopoda is a group of browsing, herbivorous, mammals in the Perissodactyla that show long, curved and cleft claws. Morphological evidence indicates the Ancylopoda diverged from the tapirs, rhinoceroses and horses ( Euperissodactyla) after the Brontotheria; however, earlier authorities such as Osborn sometimes considered the Ancylopoda to be outside Perissodactyla or, as was popular more recently, to be related to Brontotheriidae. '' Macrotherium'', which is typically from the middle Miocene of Sansan, in Gers, France, may indicate a distinct genus. Limb-bones resembling those of ''Macrotherium'', but relatively stouter, have been described from the Pliocene beds of Attica and Samos as '' Ancylotherium''. In the Americas, the names ''Morothorium'' and ''Moropus'' have been applied to similar bones, in the belief that they indicated xenarthrans Xenarthra (; from Ancient Greek ξένος, xénos, "foreign, alien" + ἄρθρον, árthron, "joint") is a superorder and maj ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Eomoropidae
Eomoropidae is a family of odd-toed ungulates, a group which also includes horses, rhinoceroses, and tapirs. They were most closely related to the extinct chalicotheres, which they greatly resemble, and may have been their immediate ancestors. They were, however, much smaller than the later forms, being around the size of a sheep. Like their later relatives, they were probably browsers on leaves and other soft vegetation, and, unlike most other ungulates, had claws on their feet. The Eomoropidae is most likely a paraphyletic group within Chalicotherioidea Chalicotherioidea is an extinct superfamily of clawed perissodactyls (odd-toed ungulates) that lived from the early Eocene to the early Pleistocene subepochs. Based on the fossil record they emerged and thrived largely in Eurasia, although speci .... References Chalicotheres Eocene Perissodactyla Prehistoric mammal families {{Paleo-oddtoedungulate-stub ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Eocene
The Eocene ( ) is a geological epoch (geology), epoch that lasted from about 56 to 33.9 million years ago (Ma). It is the second epoch of the Paleogene Period (geology), Period in the modern Cenozoic Era (geology), Era. The name ''Eocene'' comes from the Ancient Greek (''Ēṓs'', 'Eos, Dawn') and (''kainós'', "new") and refers to the "dawn" of modern ('new') fauna that appeared during the epoch.See: *Letter from William Whewell to Charles Lyell dated 31 January 1831 in: * From p. 55: "The period next antecedent we shall call Eocene, from ήως, aurora, and χαινος, recens, because the extremely small proportion of living species contained in these strata, indicates what may be considered the first commencement, or ''dawn'', of the existing state of the animate creation." The Eocene spans the time from the end of the Paleocene Epoch to the beginning of the Oligocene Epoch. The start of the Eocene is marked by a brief period in which the concentration of the carbon isoto ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Sexual Dimorphism
Sexual dimorphism is the condition where sexes of the same species exhibit different Morphology (biology), morphological characteristics, including characteristics not directly involved in reproduction. The condition occurs in most dioecy, dioecious species, which consist of most animals and some plants. Differences may include secondary sex characteristics, size, weight, color, markings, or behavioral or cognitive traits. Male-male reproductive competition has evolved a diverse array of sexually dimorphic traits. Aggressive utility traits such as "battle" teeth and blunt heads reinforced as battering rams are used as weapons in aggressive interactions between rivals. Passive displays such as ornamental feathering or song-calling have also evolved mainly through sexual selection. These differences may be subtle or exaggerated and may be subjected to sexual selection and natural selection. The opposite of dimorphism is ''monomorphism'', when both biological sexes are phenotype, ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Brontothere
Brontotheriidae is a family of extinct mammals belonging to the order Perissodactyla, the order that includes horses, rhinoceroses, and tapirs. Superficially, they looked rather like rhinos with some developing bony nose horns, and were some of the earliest mammals to have evolved large body sizes of several tonnes. They lived around 56–34 million years ago, until the very close of the Eocene. Brontotheres had a Holarctic distribution, with the exception of Western Europe: they occupied North America, Asia, and Eastern Europe. They were the first fossilized mammals to be discovered west of the Mississippi, and were first discovered in South Dakota. Characteristics and evolution This group has also been referred to as "Titanotheres." "Titan" refers to the mythological Greek gods who were symbols of strength and large size, and "theros" is Greek for "wild animal." "Bronto" is Greek for "thunder," which may be how this group got the nickname "thunder beasts." Brontotheres retai ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Tapir
Tapirs ( ) are large, herbivorous mammals belonging to the family Tapiridae. They are similar in shape to a Suidae, pig, with a short, prehensile nose trunk (proboscis). Tapirs inhabit jungle and forest regions of South America, South and Central America and Southeast Asia. They are one of three extant branches of Perissodactyla (odd-toed ungulates), alongside Equidae, equines and rhinoceroses. Only a single genus, ''Tapirus'', is currently extant. Tapirs migrated into South America during the Pleistocene epoch from North America after the formation of the Isthmus of Panama as part of the Great American Interchange. Tapirs were formerly present across North America, but became extinct in the region at the end of the Late Pleistocene, around 12,000 years ago. Name The term ''tapir'' comes from the Portuguese language, Portuguese-language words , , which themselves trace their origins back to Old Tupi, specifically the term . This word, according to Eduardo de Almeida Navarro, r ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Rhinoceros
A rhinoceros ( ; ; ; : rhinoceros or rhinoceroses), commonly abbreviated to rhino, is a member of any of the five extant taxon, extant species (or numerous extinct species) of odd-toed ungulates (perissodactyls) in the family (biology), family Rhinocerotidae; it can also refer to a member of any of the extinct species of the superfamily Rhinocerotoidea. Two of the extant species are native to Africa, and three to South Asia, South and Southeast Asia. Rhinoceroses are some of the largest remaining megafauna: all weigh over half a tonne in adulthood. They have a herbivore, herbivorous diet, small brains for mammals of their size, one or two horns, and a thick , protective skin formed from layers of collagen positioned in a crystal structure, lattice structure. They generally eat leafy material, although their ability to ferment food in their colon (anatomy), hindgut allows them to subsist on more fibrous plant matter when necessary. Unlike other perissodactyls, the two African ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
