Saotherium

For the extinct otter genus, see Satherium.

Saotherium Temporal range: Early Pliocene 5.3–4.0  Ma PreꞒ Ꞓ O S D C P T J K Pg N ↓
Scientific classification
Domain:	Eukaryota
Kingdom:	Animalia
Phylum:	Chordata
Class:	Mammalia
Order:	Artiodactyla
Suborder:	Whippomorpha
Family:	Hippopotamidae
Genus:	† Saotherium Boisserie, 2005 [1]
Species:	†S. mingoz
Binomial name
†Saotherium mingoz Boisserie, 2005

Saotherium is an extinct genus of hippopotamid from the Early Pliocene of Africa, specifically Chad. It is represented by a single species, S. mingoz. The earliest fossils appear at the start of the Pliocene, while the latest are dated to about 4 mya. ^[2]

Saotherium was a small hippopotamid similar to the pygmy hippopotamus in size and morphology. The elongated shape of its brain case and the relatively large orbits suggest a possible evolutionary relationship with the latter. ^{[3] [4]}

References

1. "Saotherium". Fossilworks.
2. Boisserie, J-R. (2005). "The phylogeny and taxonomy of Hippopotamidae (Mammalia: Artiodactyla): a review based on morphology and cladistic analysis". Zoological Journal of the Linnean Society. 143 (1): 1–26. doi: 10.1111/j.1096-3642.2004.00138.x .
3. Prothero, Donald R. (2007). The Evolution of Artiodactyls. Johns Hopkins University Press. p. 112. ISBN   9780801887352.
4. Kingdon, Jonathan (2014). Mammals of Africa: Volume VI - Hippopotamuses, Pigs, Deer, Giraffe and Bovids. Bloomsbury Publishing. p. 79. ISBN   9781408189955.