In Depth The name Dinocrocuta translates to English as ‘terrible hyena’, with ‘dino meaning terrible and the ‘crocuta’ part being a reference to the Crocuta genus which is home to modern hyenas that we can see alive today. This is born out of a superficial similarity in physical form between modern hyenas and Dinocrocuta, however … Read more
In Depth One of the daphoenine bear dogs that are so far exclusive to North America, Daphoenictis was similar to the type genus of this group Daphoenus. Although definitely a bear dog, Daphoenictis fossils bear a resemblance to cats, something leading to the name Daphoenictis which translates as ‘Daphoenus cat’. Daphoenictis seems to have shared … Read more
In Depth Originally named after a species of Anchitherium, Hypohippus was a primitive three toed horse that browsed upon vegetation rather than grazing on grass. Hypohippus acquired its name from the low middle cusp of its molars. As a browser the teeth had proportionately lower crowns than the teeth of grazing horses. Hypohippus would have … Read more
In Depth Hulitherium is a genus of diprotodont wombat that lived in New guinea during the Pleistocene. Not much is known about Hulitherium, though the arm structure suggests that this genus was significantly more mobile than other diprotodonts. Further Reading Further reading- A new late Pleistocene diprotodontid (Marsupialia) from Pureni, Southern Highlands Province, Papua New … Read more
In Depth Adapis is considered to be one of the first primates and is the type genus of the Adapidae. These primates have grasping hands that have nails rather than claws and the post cranial skeletons of them are similar to those of lemurs. Adapis did not have a nose like some primates (including humans) … Read more
In Depth Eomaia was a ground breaking discovery as this little mammal is the oldest known placental mammal in the fossil record. Placental mammals are those that have young that develop inside their mother’s womb and are connected to their mother’s body via a placenta until they are ready to be born. Earlier Mammaliaformes such … Read more
In Depth Palorchestes was a large and probably heavy diprotodont, a kind of large quadrupedal herbivore that as a group had a distribution exclusive to ancient Australia. With this appearance in mind, it seems odd that this creature should be given a name that means ‘ancient leaper’, but this is easily enough explained by the … Read more
In Depth Astrapotherium is noted for having high nostrils, something that has led to the idea that a great amount of soft tissue was present upon this part of the head. The exact kind of tissue however is still unknown, with speculation that it could have been some kind of short trunk or prehensile lip, … Read more
In Depth Although Nakalipithecus is so far only known from a jaw bone, Nakalipithecus has been a major contribution to our understanding of hominid evolution specifically regarding hominines, including the ancestors of humans. For some time there have been two competing theories regarding the ancient origins of our own direct ancestors, concerning either an African … Read more
In Depth Samburupithecus is known to have low and broad cheek bones that housed a large maxillary sinus. The alveolar process (the bone that holds the teeth) is straight and houses teeth that are elongated back to front, similar to some great apes. The teeth have a thick coating of enamel and have cusps that … Read more