In Depth Although usually regarded as its own genus, there is on-going debate over how Aegyptopithecus might actually be the same primate as Propliopithecus. If this eventually does happen then material that has been named Aegyptopithecus will be re-named Propliopithecus. Aegyptopithecus is thought to have been a frugivore, a herbivorous creature that specialises in eating … Read more
In Depth Unfortunately still only known from very incomplete remains, Ashorocetus was an early baleen whale. Relatives of Ashorocetus include Aetiocetus and Willungacetus. Further Reading - Classification and distribution of Oligocene Aetiocetidae (Mammalia; Cetacea; Mysticeti) from western North America and Japan - L. G. Barnes, M. Kimura, H. Furusawa & H. Sawamura - 1995.
In Depth Acinacodus was a genus of triconodont mammal from the early Cretaceous of Russia. The triconodonts were small mammals lived in a world dominated by the dinosaurs, and were likely hunted by some of them. Further Reading - A new genus of triconodont mammals from the Early Cretaceous of Western Siberia - A. V. … Read more
Mammuthus trogontherii, better known as the steppe mammoth, holds an important place for those who study mammoths as it is often treated as a link between the early M. meridionalis known as the southern mammoth and the later M. primigenius, more famously known as the woolly mammoth. M. trogontherii however was larger than both its ancestor and descendent which … Read more
In Depth About Mammut Prehistoric elephants of the genus Mammut are actually more popularly known as ‘mastodons’. The name mastodon means ‘nipple tooth’ and is a reference to the lumpy projections on top of the tooth crown. The name mastodon is today considered an obsolete term for the mammoth genus, yet it is still has a more … Read more