In Depth Although fossil remains form China have been attributed to Sansanosmilus (for the species S. palmidans), most of the currently known fossils come from Europe. This would suggest that the highest population density for Sansanosmilus was in Europe, however caution should be used before coming to this conclusion since fossil deposits of certain times … Read more
In Depth Toxodon was a large herbivorous mammal that was similar in proportion to a rhinoceros, but also possessed other features that were similar to hippopotamuses and possibly even elephants. The post cranial skeleton has a very robust construction which suggests that in life Toxodon was a very heavy animal. The feet were plantigrade which … Read more
In Depth During the Pleistocene Australia had a variety of animals that loosely resembled those still living today but on a much grander scale, from giant three meter long wombats like Diprotodon to four meter plus goannas like Varanus priscus. Procoptodon for its part was essentially a giant kangaroo, although its full size has been … Read more
In Depth Further Reading – Taxonomy and palaeobiology of the largest-ever marsupial, Diprotodon Owen, 1838 (Diprotodontidae, Marsupialia) – Zoological Journal of the Linnean Society 153 (2): 369–397 – G. J. Price – 2006. – Late-surviving megafauna in Tasmania, Australia, implicate human involvement in their extinction – Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences of the … Read more
In Depth Paressonodon is a genus of multituberculatan mammal that lived in the USA during the late Cretaceous. Further Reading - New Late Cretaceous mammals from northeastern Colorado with biochronologic and biogeographic implications. - Journal of Vertebrate Paleontology 30 (2): 499–520. - Gregory P. Wilson, Marieke Dechesne & Ingrid R. Anderson - 2010.
In Depth What is termed a monkey-lemur, Archaeolemur seems to have been a generalist that could adapt to a range of different environments. This notion is supported by the comparatively large number of remains including sub-fossils (remains that have not yet completely fossilised) associated with this genus. Archaeolemur seemed to have lived upon the ground, … Read more
In Depth Siamogale is a genus of otter that once lived in Asia during the Miocene/Pliocene. Further Reading - Feeding capability in the extinct giant Siamogale melilutra and comparative mandibular biomechanics of living Lutrinae. - Scientific Reports. 7 (1): 1–10. - Z. Jack Tseng, Denise F. Su, Xiaoming Wang, Stuart C. White & Xueping Ji … Read more
In Depth Although still a primitive horse the teeth of Epihippus show a trend more towards the grinding of grasses over the slicing of plant vegetation like leaves. This is a reaction to the changing ecosystems of the Eocene which saw the beginning of a reduction in forests with their subsequent replacement by grassy plains. … Read more
In Depth The holotype fossils of Barylambda were originally assigned to another genus of pantodont called Titanoides until later study revealed them to be different enough to warrant the creation of a new genus. As a pantodont, Barylambda was a member of the first main group of mammals to evolve after the mass extinction of … Read more
In Depth Although Moeritherium is popularly dubbed as a primitive elephant, it is not directly ancestral to today’s modern elephants. In fact in the past the elephants radiated out into a number of different families of varying forms, but like with other mammal groups most of these did survive into modern times. Hailing all the … Read more