''Colodon'' is an extinct genus of herbivorous mammals that were related to

tapirs Tapirs ( ) are large, herbivorous mammals belonging to the family Tapiridae. They are similar in shape to a pig, with a short, prehensile nose trunk. Tapirs inhabit jungle and forest regions of South and Central America, with one species inhab ...

of today.L. T. Holbrook. 1999. The Phylogeny and classification of tapiromorph perissodactyls (Mammalia). Cladistics 15(3):331-350 . Alroy/J. Alroy/M. Uhen/ref>

Taxonomy

Species of ''Colodon'' were originally placed within the genus ''

Lophiodon ''Lophiodon'' (from el, λόφος , 'crest' and el, ὀδούς 'tooth') is an extinct genus of mammal related to chalicotheres. It lived in Eocene Europe Europe is a large peninsula conventionally considered a continent in its own ...

'' but were later found to be distinct.

Description

''Colodon'' had small or absent canines and short, broad cheek teeth. The skull had a greatly enlarged narial incision and greatly reduced nasals. Similarities between the skulls of ''Colodon'' and true tapirs suggest it may have had a very small trunk as well. ''Colodon'' first appeared in the Late Eocene and lasted until the

Whitneyan The Whitneyan North American Stage on the geologic timescale is the North American faunal stage according to the North American Land Mammal Ages chronology (NALMA), typically set from 33,300,000 to 30,800,000 years BP, a period of . It is usuall ...

References

Prehistoric tapirs Eocene odd-toed ungulates Eocene mammals of North America Oligocene odd-toed ungulates Oligocene mammals of North America Taxa named by Othniel Charles Marsh Fossil taxa described in 1890 {{paleo-oddtoedungulate-stub