Palaeosyops
Palaeosyops Temporal range:
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Palaeosyops robustus skeleton | |
Scientific classification ![]() | |
Domain: | Eukaryota |
Kingdom: | Animalia |
Phylum: | Chordata |
Class: | Mammalia |
Order: | Perissodactyla |
Family: | †Brontotheriidae |
Genus: | †Palaeosyops |
Species | |
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Palaeosyops (Greek: "old" (paleos), "boar" (kapros), "face" (ops)[1]) is a genus of small brontothere which lived during the early to middle Eocene.[2]
Biology and size
[edit]![](http://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/thumb/d/da/Palaeosyops_leidyi_2.jpg/220px-Palaeosyops_leidyi_2.jpg)
It was about the size of small cattle, with a weight of 600–800 kg depending on the species.[3]
These animals are commonly found in Wyoming fossil beds primarily as fossilized teeth. P. major was the largest species, reaching the size of a small cow. Its describer, Joseph Leidy, erroneously thought that Palaeosyops consumed both plants and animals after examining the fang-like canines. However, it is now known that all brontotheres were strict herbivores, and that many, if not most genera of hornless brontotheres had fang-like canines, possibly for both defense from predators, and intraspecific competition.
![](http://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/thumb/8/8f/Palaeosyops_robustus_skull_%28cropped%29.jpg/159px-Palaeosyops_robustus_skull_%28cropped%29.jpg)
References
[edit]- ^ "Glossary. American Museum of Natural History". Archived from the original on 20 November 2021.
- ^ "Fossilworks: Palaeosyops".
- ^ "Paleobiology Database: Palaeosyops robustus". Archived from the original on 2012-12-10. Retrieved 2012-06-03.
External links
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