In Depth Like its close cousin the American lion (Panthera atrox) the Eurasian cave lion currently has a disputed position amongst other members of the Panthera genus. Once considered a specific species in its own right the Eurasian cave lion was eventually more widely treated as a sub species of the African lion (Panthera leo). However, … Read more
In Depth In overall form and proportions Hesperocyon wasn’t much like a dog as we know them today, but it has still been confirmed to be one of the first canids to appear on the landscape. The key identifying feature is the ear structure within the skull which is enclosed by bone rather than cartiladge. … Read more
In Depth Titanocetus is a genus of baleen whale that lived in waters around Europe during the Miocene. As a member of the Cetotheriidae whales, Titanocetus would have been related to genera such as Cetotherium. There is a popular misconception that the name Titanocetus means ‘Titan whale’ in reference to a large size, and indeed … Read more
In Depth Although no way near as popular as the large ‘bear dogs’ such as Amphicyon, the large number of fossil remains for Daphoenus actually make it one of if not the best represented of the North American bear dogs. Daphoenus is actually the type genus of a special sub group of amphicyonids called the … Read more
In Depth ‘Middle horse’ may seem an uninteresting name for a prehistoric horse, but Mesohippus is actually one of the most important. The middle horse name is actually a reference to the position of Mesohippus in relation to earlier forms like Hyracotherium and larger and later forms like we know today. Aside from having longer … Read more
In Depth Merycopotamus is a genus of anthracothere mammal that lived in both Africa and Asia during from the Miocene to Pliocene periods. Further Reading - A New Species of Bothriodontinae, Merycopotamus thachangensis (Cetartiodactyla, Anthracotheriidae) from the Late Miocene of Nakhon Ratchasima, Northeastern Thailand. - Journal of Vertebrate Paleontology 28 (4): 1182–1188. - R. Hanta, … Read more
In Depth Often described as hippopotamus-like because of its heavily built quadrupedal body, Desmostylus is a peculiar mammal. Palaeontologists are still unsure how Desmostylus is related to other mammals with theories covering a wide range of options from being related to elephants, to hippopotamuses to just being a separate side branch of mammals that left … Read more
In Depth Merychippus is one of the best known occurrences of the appearance of the modern horse form that is much better adapted to running. Whereas the earlier forms such as Hyracotherium and Mesohippus had more than one weight bearing toe, Merychippus supported its body weight with feet that ended with a single well adapted … Read more
In Depth A type of proto mammal, Haramiyavia is currently the best known genus of the Haramiyida. Even so, Haramiyavia is still only known from partial jaw remains. Further Reading - Haramiyids and Triassic mammalian evolution. - Nature 385:715-718. - F. A. Jenkins, S. M. Gatesy, N. H. Shubin & W. W. Amaral - 1997. … Read more
In Depth The Oligocene and Miocene periods were times of change for the world’s ecosystems, particularly those of the northern hemisphere. Long covered by temperate and in places tropical forests, these were now steadily being replaced by grassy plains. Parahippus is a horse that shows a shift towards coping with these changing environments. Primitive horse … Read more