''Brachyprotoma'', also known as the short-faced skunks, is an extinct genus of large

skunk Skunks are mammals in the family Mephitidae. They are known for their ability to spray a liquid with a strong, unpleasant scent from their anal glands. Different species of skunk vary in appearance from black-and-white to brown, cream or gi ...

that inhabited Pleistocene

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, with specimens having been found from

Yukon Yukon () is a Provinces and territories of Canada, territory of Canada, bordering British Columbia to the south, the Northwest Territories to the east, the Beaufort Sea to the north, and the U.S. state of Alaska to the west. It is Canada’s we ...

West Virginia West Virginia is a mountainous U.S. state, state in the Southern United States, Southern and Mid-Atlantic (United States), Mid-Atlantic regions of the United States.The United States Census Bureau, Census Bureau and the Association of American ...

. There currently exists only one accepted species, ''Brachyprotoma obtusata''.

Description

''Brachyprotoma obtusata'' is known solely from its jaws and teeth, thus postcraneal elements are deduced based on the relatively similar hog-nosed skunks, but as a more robust form. The holotype, USNM 12045, is a damaged lower jaw that meassures 3 cm (1.2 in) long. ''Brachyprotoma obtusata'''s jaw is considered to possess several primitive characteristics, such as the large size of Premolar

^4

and Molar

^1

, the large size of the anterior premolars, the smaller protocone in P

^4

, the weaker metaconid in M

^1

and the transverse elongation of M

^1

; and some more derived traits, ''B. obtusata'' has two upper and three lower premolars, having gotten rid of the anterior-most premolars.

Etymology and Phylogeny

The generic name ''Brachyprotoma'', from the

greek Greek may refer to: Anything of, from, or related to Greece, a country in Southern Europe: *Greeks, an ethnic group *Greek language, a branch of the Indo-European language family **Proto-Greek language, the assumed last common ancestor of all kno ...

brachy, meaning short; and protomē, the head and neck of a decapitated animal; in reference to the holotype's robust appearance as well as the curious lack of postcranial remains. The specific name ''obtusata'' hails from the

Latin Latin ( or ) is a classical language belonging to the Italic languages, Italic branch of the Indo-European languages. Latin was originally spoken by the Latins (Italic tribe), Latins in Latium (now known as Lazio), the lower Tiber area aroun ...

obtusitas'','' meaning dense. The precise phylogenetic relationships of ''Brachyprotoma'' within

Mephitidae Mephitidae is a family of mammals comprising the skunks and stink badgers. They are noted for the great development of their anal scent glands, which they use to deter predators. Skunks were formerly classified as a subfamily of the Mustelidae ( ...

remain controversial, it shares a dental formula with '' Promephitis hootoni'', while its P

^4

shares more characteristics with those in the genus ''Mephitis''. As of Wang et. al. 2005, ''Brachyprotoma obtusata'' was recovered as a more derived skunk:

Extinction

It is unclear why ''Brachyprotoma obtusata'' went extinct along with the North American

megafauna In zoology, megafauna (from Ancient Greek, Greek μέγας ''megas'' "large" and Neo-Latin ''fauna'' "animal life") are large animals. The precise definition of the term varies widely, though a common threshold is approximately , this lower en ...

, there are several present specimens in the Bonneville Basin,

Utah Utah is a landlocked state in the Mountain states, Mountain West subregion of the Western United States. It is one of the Four Corners states, sharing a border with Arizona, Colorado, and New Mexico. It also borders Wyoming to the northea ...

, circa 24.000 to 18.000 years ago. However, the species is absent in more recent strata; where only generalists remain, suggesting some degree of specialization in ''Brachyprotoma obtusata'', perhaps related to the megafauna itself.

References

{{Portal bar, Paleontology, Prehistoric mammals Skunks Prehistoric caniforms Fauna of Canada Extinct animals of the United States Taxa named by Edward Drinker Cope Taxa named by Barnum Brown Fossil taxa described in 1908 Monotypic prehistoric carnivoran genera