''Barylambda'' (Greek: "heavy" (baros), "lambda" (lambda) in a reference to larger size than that of ''

Pantolambda ''Pantolambda'' (Greek: "all" (pantos), "lambda" (lambda), in a reference to the shape of upper premolars, similar to the Greek letter lambda) is an extinct genus of Paleocene pantodont mammal. ''Pantolambda'' lived during the middle Paleocene, ...

'') is an

extinct Extinction is the termination of a kind of organism or of a group of kinds (taxon), usually a species. The moment of extinction is generally considered to be the death of the last individual of the species, although the capacity to breed and ...

genus of pantodont mammal from the middle to late Paleocene, well known from several finds in the Wasatchian ( NALMA classification)

DeBeque Formation The DeBeque Formation is a geologic formation in Colorado's Piceance Basin,Bown & Kihm, 1981 preserving fossils which date back to the Late Paleocene to Early Eocene period ( Clarkforkian to Wasatchian in the NALMA classification.

of Colorado and the Clarkforkian Wasatch Formation to Tiffanian Fort Union Formation in Wyoming. Three species of ''Barylambda'' are currently recognized. The creature likely lived a life similar to that of a modern tapir, browsing on foliage and soft vegetation. ''Barylambda'' seems to have been quite successful for an early pantodont, though eventually it seems to have been replaced in its ecosystem by other pantodonts, such as '' Coryphodon''.

Description

In life, ''Barylambda'' probably resembled a large

ground sloth Ground sloths are a diverse group of extinct sloths in the mammalian superorder Xenarthra. The term is used to refer to all extinct sloths because of the large size of the earliest forms discovered, compared to existing tree sloths. The Caribbe ...

, with a small head and long, well-developed tail and bear-like legs. The length was about with a weight around , about the size of a pony. ''Barylambda'' was large even for a pantodont, sheer size probably protecting it from contemporary carnivores. Like other pantodonts, ''Barylambda'' was a heavyset, five-toed

plantigrade 151px, Portion of a human skeleton, showing plantigrade habit In terrestrial animals, plantigrade locomotion means walking with the toes and metatarsals flat on the ground. It is one of three forms of locomotion adopted by terrestrial mammals. T ...

animal. The vertebrae of the tail were unusually massive; the living animal may have been able to rear up and support itself on the hind legs and tail in order to reach higher for food. The generalized appearance of the teeth, the presence of well-developed canines only in males, the grinding wear and lack of shearing blades on the molars, and the animal's heavy build strongly suggest that it was herbivorous.

References

External links

Ferae Past and Present (Phylogenetic tree)
at Okapiland {{Taxonbar, from=Q791059 Pantodonts Paleogene mammals of North America Paleocene mammals Clarkforkian Tiffanian Wasatchian Fossils of the United States Paleontology in Colorado Paleontology in Wyoming Fossil taxa described in 1937 Prehistoric mammal genera