In Depth Victoriaceros is a genus of extinct elamostherine rhinoceros that lived in what is now Kenya during the mid Miocene. The nasal horn of Victoriaceros has been noted as being particularly large. Victoriaceros is named after Lake Victoria in Kenya which is near where the holotype remains were found. The type species name means … Read more
Classification confusion Today the American lion is usually treated as a sub species of the African lion (Panthera leo) which is why it is more commonly credited as Panthera leo atrox. However there are a large number of researchers who consider the American lion to be different enough from the African lion to give it … Read more
In Depth Although best known from the Sivalik Hills, Sivapithecus seems to have had a much broader geographical distribution. This is in part down to fossils of other genera such as Ankarapithecus and Palaeopithecus being reassigned to Sivapithecus. One genus in particular called Ramapithecus was previously heralded as an ancestor of humans, but as more … Read more
In Depth Pakicetus may well be the oldest known ancestor to modern whales, and along with other animals such as Ambulocetus, represent the group of terrestrial carnivores that began developing adaptations for a wholly aquatic lifestyle. Due to its transitional nature, it is hard to say with certainty how Pakicetus lived. Its ear structure is … Read more
In Depth Leptalestes is a genus of metatherian mammal that lived in North America during the late Cretaceous. Further Reading - A revision of “pediomyid” marsupials from the Late Cretaceous of North America. - Acta Palaeontologica Polonica 52(2):217-256. - B. M. Davis - 2007.
In Depth Not too much is known about Sarkastodon because so far as only the skull and jaw are known for certain. The size and construction of these skulls however strongly suggest that in life Sarkastodon would have been a very large, powerful animal and is often likened to being like a bear. Like many … Read more
In Depth Microleo is a genus of thylacoleonid marsupial that lived in Australia during the early Miocene. Microleo has already become well known as a relative of the fearsome Thylacoleo, however it seems that Microleo was much smaller. Because of the lack of overall fossil remains for the holotype, an exact size for Microleo is … Read more
In Depth The hyenas had their origin in ancient genera such as Ictitherium, but by the Miocene exceptionally large forms such as Percrocuta had already evolved into a more recognisably hyena form. Percrocuta possessed robust skull and jaws with attachment points that would have allowed for a powerful bite. The rear teeth of Percrocuta however … Read more
In Depth The name Maiacetus means ‘good mother whale’ and this is a reference to the fact that the holotype of Maiacetus was composed of a skull with post cranial skeletal remains, and inside of the post cranial skeleton there appears to be the remains of a fossilised foetus. If this interpretation is correct then … Read more
In Depth Palaeopropithecus is one of the large sloth lemurs of ancient Madagascar, so noted because while it was without doubt a lemur, it had considerably longer limbs and physical adaptations more suited to climbing and living like a sloth. With this in mind, Palaeopropithecus probably spent its time climbing branches to reach leaves, fruit … Read more