''Scalabrinitherium'' is an extinct genus of mammals of the family

Macraucheniidae Macraucheniidae is a family in the extinct South American ungulate order Litopterna, that resembled various camelids. The reduced nasal bones of their skulls was originally suggested to have housed a small proboscis, similar to that of the sa ...

. Fossils of this animal were found among the fossils of prehistoric

xenarthra Xenarthra (; from Ancient Greek ξένος, xénos, "foreign, alien" + ἄρθρον, árthron, "joint") is a major clade of placental mammals native to the Americas. There are 31 living species: the anteaters, tree sloths, and armadillos. Ex ...

ns in the

Ituzaingó Formation The Ituzaingó Formation ( es, Formación Ituzaingó), in older literature also described as Entre Ríos or Entrerriana Formation, is an extensive geological formation of Late Miocene (Tortonian, or Huayquerian in the SALMA classification) age in ...

Argentina Argentina (), officially the Argentine Republic ( es, link=no, República Argentina), is a country in the southern half of South America. Argentina covers an area of , making it the second-largest country in South America after Brazil, t ...

.''Scalabrinitherium''
at

Fossilworks Fossilworks is a portal which provides query, download, and analysis tools to facilitate access to the Paleobiology Database, a large relational database assembled by hundreds of paleontologists from around the world. History Fossilworks was cre ...

.org

Description

This animal was rather similar to a

llama The llama (; ) (''Lama glama'') is a domesticated South American camelid, widely used as a meat and pack animal by Andean cultures since the Pre-Columbian era. Llamas are social animals and live with others as a herd. Their wool is so ...

with a slightly heavy build; the

skull The skull is a bone protective cavity for the brain. The skull is composed of four types of bone i.e., cranial bones, facial bones, ear ossicles and hyoid bone. However two parts are more prominent: the cranium and the mandible. In humans, t ...

was long and low, the front teeth were slightly spatulate, and the nasal aperture set far back. It is possible that there was a strong prehensile lip or a short proboscis. The height of this animal must have exceeded two meters; the limbs were slender but relatively heavy, three-toed.

Classification

The first paleontologist to describe the fossils of this animal was Bravard, who in

1858 Events January–March * January – **Benito Juárez (1806–1872) becomes Liberal President of Mexico. At the same time, conservatives install Félix María Zuloaga (1813–1898) as president. ** William I of Prussia becomes regent ...

attributed the fossils to a presumed South American species of the perissodactyl ''

Palaeotherium ''Palaeotherium'' (Ancient Greek for 'old beast') is an extinct genus of perissodactyl ungulate known from the Mid Eocene to earliest Oligocene of Europe. First described by French naturalist Georges Cuvier in 1804, ''Palaeotherium'' was among ...

'', ''P. paranense''. It was the Argentinean paleontologist

Florentino Ameghino Florentino Ameghino (born Giovanni Battista Fiorino Giuseppe Ameghino September 19, 1853 – August 6, 1911) was an Argentine naturalist, paleontologist, anthropologist and zoologist, whose fossil discoveries on the Argentine Pampas, especiall ...

, in

1883 Events January–March * January 4 – ''Life'' magazine is founded in Los Angeles, California, United States. * January 10 – A fire at the Newhall Hotel in Milwaukee, Wisconsin, United States, kills 73 people. * Janua ...

, who described the genus ''Scalabrinitherium'' for this species, also describing the new species ''S. bravardi'' in the fauna of Entre Rios which dates to the Late Miocene. Later, in 1885, the same author described an additional species, ''S. rothii''. ''Scalabrinitherium'' was a rather derived representative of the

, a group of litopterns with a camel-like appearance. Probably derived from lower Miocene forms such as ''

Cramauchenia ''Cramauchenia'' is an extinct genus of litoptern South American ungulate. ''Cramauchenia'' was named by Florentino Ameghino. The name has no literal translation. Instead, it is an anagram of the name of a related genus ''Macrauchenia''. This ge ...

'' and ''

Theosodon ''Theosodon'' is an extinct genus of litoptern mammal from the Early to Middle Miocene of South America. Description ''Theosodon'' was long-legged with a long neck resembling modern llamas or guanacos. It was large for a litoptern, reaching ...

'', this animal probably gave rise to the large macraucheniids of the

Pliocene The Pliocene ( ; also Pleiocene) is the epoch in the geologic time scale that extends from 5.333 million to 2.58Pleistocene The Pleistocene ( , often referred to as the '' Ice age'') is the geological epoch that lasted from about 2,580,000 to 11,700 years ago, spanning the Earth's most recent period of repeated glaciations. Before a change was finally confirmed ...

, such as ''

Macrauchenia ''Macrauchenia'' ("long llama", based on the now-invalid llama genus, ''Auchenia'', from Greek "big neck") was a large, long-necked and long-limbed, three-toed native South American mammal in the order Litopterna. The genus gives its name to its ...

'' and ''

Xenorhinotherium ''Xenorhinotherium'' is an extinct genus of macraucheniine macraucheniids, closely related to ''Macrauchenia'' of Patagonia. The type species is ''X. bahiense''.Cladogram A cladogram (from Greek ''clados'' "branch" and ''gramma'' "character") is a diagram used in cladistics to show relations among organisms. A cladogram is not, however, an evolutionary tree because it does not show how ancestors are related to ...

based in the

phylogenetic analysis In biology Biology is the scientific study of life. It is a natural science with a broad scope but has several unifying themes that tie it together as a single, coherent field. For instance, all organisms are made up of cells that pro ...

published by Schmidt ''et al''., 2014, showing the position of ''Scalabrinitherium'':

Paleoenvironment

Fossils of ''Scalabrinitherium'' have been recovered from the

of Entre Rios,

, which preserves vast tidal flats similar to those in the modern day

Amazon Amazon most often refers to: * Amazons, a tribe of female warriors in Greek mythology * Amazon rainforest, a rainforest covering most of the Amazon basin * Amazon River, in South America * Amazon (company), an American multinational technolog ...

and a warm climate. Large, herbivorous notoungulate mammals in the Ituzaingó Formation were widespread, including the toxodontids ''

Xotodon ''Xotodon'' is an extinct genus of toxodontid mammal that lived during the Late Miocene ( Huayquerian in the SALMA classification) in Argentina, South America. Fossils of ''Xotodon'' have been found in the Ituzaingó, Maimará and Chiquimil ...

'' and ''

Adinotherium ''Adinotherium'' (meaning "not terrible beast")Palmer (1904) p. 80. is an extinct genus of Toxodontidae, large bodied hoofed ungulates which inhabited South America during the Middle to Late Miocene, from 17.5 to 6.8 Ma and existed for approxi ...

'', and fellow

litopterns Litopterna (from grc, λῑτή πτέρνα "smooth heel") is an extinct order of fossil hoofed mammals from the Cenozoic era. The order is one of the five great orders of South American ungulates that were endemic to the continent, until the ...

such as ''

Brachytherium ''Brachytherium'' is an extinct genus of proterotheriid mammal from the Late Miocene to Late Pliocene of Argentina. It is represented by the type and only species ''B. cuspidatum'', a taxon named in 1883 by Ameghino for a partial mandible with t ...

'', ''

Cullinia ''Cullinia'' is an extinct genus of litoptern, an order of South American native ungulates that included horse-like and camel-like animals such as ''Macrauchenia''. It is only known from fragmentary remains. ''Cullinia levis'' is known from Chas ...

'', ''

Diadiaphorus ''Diadiaphorus'' is an extinct genus of litoptern mammal from the Miocene of Argentina ( Ituzaingó, Pinturas, Chiquimil and Santa Cruz Formations) and Bolivia (Nazareno Formation), South America. Description ''Diadiaphorus'' closely rese ...

'', ''

Neobrachytherium ''Neobrachytherium'' is an extinct genus of proterotheriid mammal from the Late Miocene of Argentina and Uruguay. It is represented by multiple species, including the type ''N. intermedium'', originally named in 1891 by Moreno and Mercerat as a ...

'', '' Oxyodontherium'', ''

Paranauchenia ''Paranauchenia'' is an extinct genus of South American litopterns belonging to the family Macraucheniidae. It is known only from fossil finds in Argentina. It possessed three toes and long limbs. The species ''Paranauchenia denticulata'' lived i ...

'', ''

Promacrauchenia ''Promacrauchenia'' is an extinct genus of macraucheniids that lived during the Late Miocene to Late Pliocene epochs of what is now Argentina and Bolivia. It belongs to the subfamily Macraucheniinae, which also includes '' Huayqueriana'', ''Macr ...

'', and ''

Proterotherium ''Proterotherium'' (meaning "first beast") is an extinct genus of litoptern mammal of the family Proterotheriidae that lived during the Late Miocene of Argentina and Chile. Fossils of this genus have been found in the Ituzaingó Formation of Ar ...

''. Large, armored glyptodonts like ''

Palaehoplophorus ''Palaehoplophorus'' (also spelled, historically, ''Palaeohoplophorus'') is an extinct genus of glyptodont. It lived from the Middle to the Late Miocene, and its fossilized remains were discovered in South America. Description This animal, li ...

'', ''

Eleutherocercus ''Eleutherocercus'' was a genus of glyptodonts that lived during the Late Miocene and Early Pliocene in South America. Fossils of the genus have been found in the Huayquerian Ituzaingó Formation (''E. paranensis'') and the Montehermosan Monte He ...

'', and ''

Plohophorus ''Plohophorus'' is an extinct genus of Glyptodont. it lived from the Late Miocene to the Late Pliocene, and its fossilized remains were discovered in South America. Description Like all glyptodonts, this animal had a large carapace formed by ...

'' lived in the area as well as other cingulates like the

pampatheres Pampatheriidae ("Pampas beasts") is an extinct family of large plantigrade armored armadillos related to extant armadillos in the order Cingulata. However, pampatheriids have existed as a separate lineage since at least the middle Eocene Muster ...

'' Kraglievichia'' and '' Scirrotherium'', and the

dasypodid Dasypodidae is a family of mostly extinct genera of armadillos. One genus, ''Dasypus'', is extant, with at least seven living species. __TOC__ Classification Below is a taxonomy of armadillos in this family. Family Dasypodidae *† Genus ...

Dasypus neogaeus ''Dasypus neogaeus'' is an extinct species of armadillo, belonging to the genus ''Dasypus'', alongside the modern nine-banded armadillo. The only known fossil is a single osteoderm, though it has been lost, that was found in the Late Miocene str ...

''. Carnivores included the phorusrhacids ''

Devincenzia ''Devincenzia'' is an extinct genus of giant flightless predatory birds in the family Phorusrhacidae or "terror birds" that lived during the Early Miocene (Deseadan) Fray Bentos Formation of Uruguay and Late Miocene (Huayquerian) Ituzaingó Form ...

'' and ''

Andalgalornis ''Andalgalornis'' is a genus of flightless predatory birds of the extinct family Phorusrhacidae (often called "terror birds") that lived in Argentina. The type and only species is ''A. steulleti''. Taxonomy ''Andalgalornis'' is known from an inc ...

'' and

sparassodonts Sparassodonta (from Greek to tear, rend; and , gen. , ' tooth) is an extinct order of carnivorous metatherian mammals native to South America, related to modern marsupials. They were once considered to be true marsupials, but are now thou ...

, with giant crocodilians like ''

Gryposuchus ''Gryposuchus'' is an extinct genus of gavialid crocodilian. Fossils have been found from Argentina, Colombia, Venezuela, Brazil and the Peruvian Amazon. The genus existed during the Miocene epoch ( Colhuehuapian to Huayquerian). One recently ...

'' and ''

Mourasuchus ''Mourasuchus'' is an extinct genus of giant, aberrant caiman from the Miocene of South America. Its skull has been described as duck-like, being broad, flat, and very elongate, superficially resembling '' Stomatosuchus'' from the Late Cretace ...

'' in the freshwater.

Bamboos Bamboos are a diverse group of evergreen perennial flowering plants making up the subfamily Bambusoideae of the grass family Poaceae. Giant bamboos are the largest members of the grass family. The origin of the word "bamboo" is uncertain, b ...

coconut palms The coconut tree (''Cocos nucifera'') is a member of the palm tree family (Arecaceae) and the only living species of the genus ''Cocos''. The term "coconut" (or the archaic "cocoanut") can refer to the whole coconut palm, the seed, or ...

, and other palms were also present.Franco, M. J., & Brea, M. (2015). First extra-Patagonian record of Podocarpaceae fossil wood in the Upper Cenozoic (Ituzaingó Formation) of Argentina. ''New Zealand Journal of Botany'', ''53''(2), 103-116.

Description

Classification

Paleoenvironment

References

Further reading