Rhynchippus
Rhynchippus Temporal range: early Oligocene | |
---|---|
Rhynchippus equinus (on land) with Pyrotherium romeroi (in water) | |
Scientific classification | |
Kingdom: | Animalia |
Phylum: | Chordata |
Class: | Mammalia |
Order: | †Notoungulata |
Family: | †Notohippidae |
Genus: | †Rhynchippus Ameghino, 1897 |
Species | |
|
Rhynchippus is an extinct genus of notoungulate mammal.
Rhynchippus was about 1 metre (3.3 ft) in length and weighted up to 120 kg, with a deep body and three clawed toes on each foot.[1] Although its teeth were extremely similar to those of horses or rhinos, Rhynchippus was actually a relative of Toxodon, having developed teeth suitable for grazing through convergent evolution. Unlike its relatives, Rhynchippus had no large tusks; they were the same size and shape as the incisors. Enamel on the molars allowed it to chew tough food.[2]
References
This article is issued from Wikipedia - version of the 6/30/2016. The text is available under the Creative Commons Attribution/Share Alike but additional terms may apply for the media files.