Metridiochoerus Temporal range: Late Pliocene to Late Pleistocene | |
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Jaw of M. hopwoodi at National Museum of Natural History | |
M. andrewsi (centre) compared to a living Desert warthog (left) and Notochoerus eulius (right) | |
Scientific classification | |
Domain: | Eukaryota |
Kingdom: | Animalia |
Phylum: | Chordata |
Class: | Mammalia |
Order: | Artiodactyla |
Family: | Suidae |
Subfamily: | Suinae |
Genus: | † Metridiochoerus Hopwood, 1926 |
Type species | |
†Metridiochoerus andrewsi Hopwood, 1926 | |
Species | |
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Metridiochoerus is an extinct genus of swine known from the Pliocene and Pleistocene of Africa. It is also known as the giant warthog.
The oldest specimen dates to around 3.4 million years ago from the Usno Formation in Ethiopia. [1] It probably evolved from a recent immigrant from Eurasia, which has been suggested to be the European "Postpotamochoerus" provincialis. [2] The youngest remains of the genus date to the Late Pleistocene in southern Africa (Zimababwe, and possibly South Africa). [3]
Metridiochoerus was a large animal, 1.5 metres (4.9 ft) in length, resembling a giant warthog. It had two large pairs of tusks which were pointed sideways and curved upwards. [4] The teeth, especially the third molars, become increasingly high crowned (hypsodont) in later species. [1]
The various species are usually thought to have been grazers, [3] though this has been questioned for the earliest low crowned species. [1]
Platybelodon is an extinct genus of large herbivorous proboscidean mammals related to modern-day elephants, placed in the "shovel tusker" family Amebelodontidae. Species lived during the middle Miocene Epoch in Africa, Asia and the Caucasus.
Embolotherium is an extinct genus of brontothere that lived in Mongolia during the late Eocene epoch. It is most easily recognized by a large bony protuberance emanating from the anterior (front) of the skull. This resembles a battering ram, hence the name Embolotherium. The animal is known from about 12 skulls, several jaws, and a variety of other skeletal elements from the Ulan Gochu formation of Inner Mongolia as well as the Ergilin Dzo Formation of Outer Mongolia.
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Microceratus is a genus of small ceratopsian dinosaur that lived in the Cretaceous period in Asia. It walked on two legs, had short front arms, a characteristic ceratopsian frill and beak-like mouth, and was around 60 cm (2.0 ft) long. It was one of the first ceratopsians, or horned dinosaurs, along with Psittacosaurus in Mongolia.
Proceratosaurus /proʊ̯sɛrətoʊˈsɔːrəs/ is a genus of carnivorous theropod dinosaur from the Middle Jurassic (Bathonian) of England. It contains a single species. P. bradleyi, known from a mostly complete skull and lower jaws. Proceratosaurus was a small dinosaur, estimated to measure around 3 m (9.8 ft) in length. Its name refers to how it was originally thought to be an ancestor of Ceratosaurus, due to the partially preserved portion of the crest of Proceratosaurus superficially resembling the small crest of Ceratosaurus. Now, however, it is considered a coelurosaur, specifically a member of the family Proceratosauridae, and amongst the earliest known members of the clade Tyrannosauroidea.
Araeoscelis is an extinct genus of tetrapods from the Early Permian of what is now Texas. Fossils have been found in the Nocona, Arroyo and Waggoner Ranch Formations. Two species have been described, A. casei and A. gracilis.
Palorchestes is an extinct genus of large terrestrial, herbivorous Australian marsupial of the family Palorchestidae, living from the Miocene through to the Late Pleistocene. Like other palorchestids, it had highly retracted nasal region suggesting that it had a prehensile lip, as well as highly unusual clawed forelimbs that were used to grasp vegetation.
Hapalops is an extinct genus of ground sloth from the Early to Late Miocene of Brazil, Bolivia, Colombia, and Argentina in South America.
Icaronycteris is an extinct genus of microchiropteran (echolocating) bat that lived in the early Eocene, approximately 52.2 million years ago, making it the earliest bat genus known from complete skeletons, and the earliest known bat from North America.
Chapalmalania is an extinct genus of procyonid from the Late Miocene or Early Pliocene to Early Pleistocene of Argentina, Venezuela, and Colombia.
Agriotherium is an extinct genus of bears whose fossils are found in Miocene through Pleistocene-aged strata of North America, Eurasia, and Africa. This long-lived genus persisted from at least ~11.6–2.5 Mya. Materials from the late-surviving A. africanum in Africa have suggested that A. africanum died out during the early Gelasian.
Acrophoca longirostris, also known as the swan-necked seal, is an extinct genus of Late Miocene pinniped. It was thought to have been the ancestor of the modern leopard seal; however, it is now thought to be a species of monk seal.
Prorastomus sirenoides is an extinct species of primitive sirenian that lived during the Eocene Epoch 40 million years ago in Jamaica.
Rytiodus is an extinct genus of sirenian, whose fossils have been discovered in France, Europe and Libya.
Homalodotherium is an extinct genus of notoungulate mammals native to South America. Fossils of Homalodotherium have been found in the Middle Miocene Santa Cruz Formation of Argentina and the Río Frías Formation of Chile.
Sivatherium is an extinct genus of giraffid that ranged throughout Africa and Eurasia. The species Sivatherium giganteum is, by weight, one of the largest giraffids known, and also one of the largest ruminants of all time.
'Ubeidiya, some 3 km south of the Sea of Galilee, in the Jordan Rift Valley, Israel, is an archaeological site of the early Pleistocene, c. 1.5 million years ago, preserving traces of one of the earliest migrations of Homo erectus out of Africa, with only the site of Dmanisi in Georgia being older. The site yielded hand axes of the Acheulean type, but very few human remains. The animal remains include a hippopotamus' femur bone, and an immensely large pair of horns belonging to a species of extinct bovid.
Zygomaturus is an extinct genus of giant marsupial belonging to the family Diprotodontidae which inhabited Australia from the Late Miocene to Late Pleistocene.
The Simon & Schuster Encyclopedia of Dinosaurs and Prehistoric Creatures: A Visual Who's Who of Prehistoric Life is an encyclopedia that was published in 1999 by Simon & Schuster. The book was first published in 1988.