In Depth Although not especially one of the most well-known of the entelodonts, Paraentelodon is one of the largest known genera being comparable to Entelodon and Daeodon in size. Paraentelodon appears in Asia as the earlier Entelodon began to decline and continues to be largest currently known genus of entelodont in Asia in the early … Read more
In Depth The Sicilian wolf is a distinct sub species of the gray wolf with the species designation Canis lupus cristaldii. The Sicilian wolf was similar to those known from Italy, though with lighter more tawny coloured fur. The dark band across the forelimbs of the Italian wolf was absent or at most faintly … Read more
In Depth Dinaelurus is little known nimravid that is so far only known from the John Day Formation in Oregon, USA. Other North American nimravids that Dinaelurus could have possibly come into contact with include Hoplophoneus, Dinictis, Eusmilus and particularly the type genus of the Nimravidae, Nimravus. Further Reading Further reading- John Day Felidae in … Read more
In Depth This small mammal is most important for being the earliest known dryolestoid mammal from South America. However it is more famous for its unusual arrangement of teeth. Cronopio had very slender jaws and in the centre of the top jaw there were two enlarged canine teeth, something which has given rise to the … Read more
In Depth As a member of the Basilosauridae, Masracetus was a relative of the famous Basilosaurus, and comparable in terms of skull size and body width. However, as in other relative genera such as Cynthiacetus, the vertebrae of Masracetus were much shorter than the vertebrae of Basilosaurus, indicating a proportionately shorter body. Masracetus was named … Read more
In Depth Originally named as a species of Mesocetus, Tranatocetus is a genus of whale that lived around Denmark during the Miocene. Further Reading - Mesocetus argillarius sp.n. (Cetacea, Mysticeti) from Upper Miocene of Denmark, with Remarks on the Lower Jaw and the Echolocation System in Whale Phytogeny. - Zoologica Scripta 7 (1-4): 63–79. - … Read more
In Depth At one time described as a species of Miacis, Dormaalocyon is a genus of carnivoramorph mammal that lived in Europe during the Eocene. Further Reading - Dental and tarsal anatomy of ‘Miacis’ latouri and a phylogenetic analysis of the earliest carnivoraforms (Mammalia, Carnivoramorpha). - Journal of Vertebrate Paleontology. - Flor�al Sol�, Richard Smith, … Read more
In Depth Before the description of Teinolophos in 1999, Steropodon was considered to be the earliest ancestor of the platypus. Comparison to mammals like the platypus has yielded body estimates of around forty to fifty centimetres long, something that would make Steropodon one of the larger known mammals of the early Cretaceous period. If Steropodon … Read more
In Depth Lekaneleo is a genus of thylacoleonid marsupial that lived in Australia during the Miocene period. Lekaneleo is a relative of the better known Thylacoleo, and like Thylacoleo, Lekaneleo would have been a powerful predator. Further Reading - Priscileo roskellyae sp. nov. (Thylacoleonidae, Marsupialia) from the Oligocene-Miocene of Riversleigh, northwestern Queensland. - Memoirs of … Read more
In Depth Further Reading – Cave occupation during Palaeolithic times: Man and/or Hyena?” in The Role of Early Humans in the accumulation if European Lower and Middle Palaeolithic bone assemblages. – Ergebnisse eines Kolloquiums, vol. 42, Monographien. Edited by S. Gaudzinski and E. Turner, pp. 73-88. Bonn: Verlag des R�misch-Germanischen Zentralmuseums. – P. Fosse – … Read more