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 Chilotherium is a genus of prehistoric rhinoceros that seems to have had a geographic distribution spreading across Asia all the way up to Eastern Europe. Chilotherium had no nasal horns like rhinoceros are often portrayed as having, but Chilotherium still remained quite unique. Two tusks formed from enlarged incisor teeth rose up from … Read more
In Depth The type genus of the Hyrachyidae, Hyrachyus usually considered to be an ancient relative of the tapirs. Hyrachyus would have been an average sized herbivore for its time, and may have been hunted by other types of mammals such as mesonychids. Further Reading - Oldest West Indian Land Mammal: Rhinocerotoid Ungulate from the … Read more
In Depth Chalicotherium is the type genus of the Chalicotheriidae, strange herbivores that look like hybrids between horses and ground sloths. The horse comparison comes from the shape of the head that is similar in form and proportion to that of a horse, while the body is supported upon two long front limbs and two … Read more
In Depth Further Reading – A contribution to the vertebrate paleontology of Texas. – Proceedings of the American Philosophical Society 30(137):123-131 – E. D. Cope – 1892.892. - A new Pliocene horse from Idaho, James W. Gidley - 1930
In Depth Anchitherium was a genus of three toed prehistoric horse that was a browser of plants rather than a grazer of grass, something that is most easily revealed by the teeth that have much lower crowns than those of known grazing horses. This is also why Anchitherium disappeared without leaving any modern descendants because … Read more
In Depth Iranotherium was a genus of rhinoceros that was once fairly widespread across central Asia. Individuals of Iranotherium were between three and four meters long, though as with other known kinds of rhinoceroses, the males would have been larger than females. The largest males could approach sizes up to four meters long. The disappearance … Read more
In Depth Hippidion is one of the first known horses to actually enter South America, but interestingly while it has been regarded as being directly descended from primitive forms such as Pliohippus, more modern analysis actually draws a link to the Equidae, the group that includes modern horses. One thing that makes Hippidion stand out … Read more
In Depth To begin we’ll address the on-going confusion between the validity of the names Paraceratherium, Indricotherium and Baluchitherium. These are all separate genera’s established as homes for fossil material belonging to huge terrestrial mammals that are very similar to one another in form. In fact they are so similar that many palaeontologists consider them … Read more
In Depth Although Hyracodon looks a lot like a primitive horse, this genus actually represents a form of prehistoric rhino. Hyracodon is the type genus of the Hyracodontidae, a group of so called ‘running rhinoceroses that fulfilled a similar ecological niche as primitive horses such as Mesohippus. Hyracodon seem to have inhabited a variety of … Read more