''Eporeodon'' is an extinct

genus Genus ( plural genera ) is a taxonomic rank used in the biological classification of living and fossil organisms as well as viruses. In the hierarchy of biological classification, genus comes above species and below family. In binomial n ...

oreodont Merycoidodontoidea, sometimes called "oreodonts" or " ruminating hogs", is an extinct superfamily of prehistoric cud-chewing artiodactyls with short faces and fang-like canine teeth. As their name implies, some of the better known forms were g ...

belonging to the family Merycoidontidae. It lived from the

Oligocene The Oligocene ( ) is a geologic epoch of the Paleogene Period and extends from about 33.9 million to 23 million years before the present ( to ). As with other older geologic periods, the rock beds that define the epoch are well identified but ...

epoch 30.8—24.8

mya Mya may refer to: Brands and product names * Mya (program), an intelligent personal assistant created by Motorola * Mya (TV channel), an Italian Television channel * Midwest Young Artists, a comprehensive youth music program Codes * Burmese ...

) existing for approximately .

Description

The species of the

are among the largest members of the family Merycoidontidae. About the size of a sheep, its fossils are also some of the largest found in the

Badlands Badlands are a type of dry terrain where softer sedimentary rocks and clay-rich soils have been extensively eroded."Badlands" in '' Chambers's Encyclopædia''. London: George Newnes, 1961, Vol. 2, p. 47. They are characterized by steep slopes ...

. It was much larger than ''

Merycoidodon ''Merycoidodon'' (" ruminating teeth") is an extinct genus of herbivorous artiodactyl of the family Merycoidodontidae, more popularly known by the name ''Oreodon'' ("hillock teeth"). It was endemic to North America during the Middle Eocene to ...

'' and ''

Miniochoerus ''Miniochoerus'' is an extinct genus of small oreodont endemic to North America. They lived during the Late Eocene to Early Oligocene 38–30.8 mya, existing for approximately . Fossils have been found only in North Dakota, South Dakota, Nebrask ...

'', its contemporaries in the Late Oligocene. On the other hand, ''Eporeodon'' was a rare oreodont, as its fossils only make up about one percent of all oreodont fossils found in the Badlands. Their skulls were much shorter and squatter than those of ''

'', but were longer than those of ''

''. ''Promesoreodon'' Schultz and Falkenbach, 1949 is a junior synonym of this genus.B. Lander. 1998. Oreodontoidea. In C. M. Janis, K. M. Scott, and L. L. Jacobs (eds.), ''Evolution of Tertiary mammals of North America'' 402-425.

Images

Eporeodon_major.JPG, Restoration of ''Eporeodon major'' Eporeodon occidentalis.jpg, ''Eporeodon occidentalis'' skull

References

Oreodonts Oligocene Artiodactyla White River Fauna Miocene Artiodactyla Aquitanian genus extinctions Chattian genus first appearances Prehistoric Artiodactyla genera Oligocene mammals of North America {{paleo-eventoedungulate-stub