Archaeopotamus

Ar-kay-o-pot-ah-mus.
By John Stewart
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John Stewart

Paleoecologist

John Stewart is a distinguished paleoecologist whose work has significantly advanced our understanding of prehistoric ecosystems. With over two decades dedicated to unearthing fossils across Asia and Africa

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Stewart, J. (2012, December 9). Archaeopotamus. Prehistoric-wildlife. https://www.prehistoric-wildlife.com/species/archaeopotamus/

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Name

Archaeopotamus ‭(‬Ancient of the river‭)‬.

Phonetic

Ar-kay-o-pot-ah-mus.

Named By

Jean-Renaud Boisserie‭ ‬-‭ ‬2005.

Classification

Chordata,‭ ‬Mammalia,‭ ‬Artiodactylia,‭ ‬Hippopotamidae,‭ ‬Hippopotaminae.

Diet

Herbivore.

Species

A.‭ ‬harvardi,‭ ‬A.‭ ‬lothagamensis,‭ ‬A.‭ ‬qeshta

Size

A.‭ ‬harvardi‭ ‬estimated to be about‭ ‬3‭ ‬meters long.

Known locations

Fossils across Africa and the Middle East.

Time Period

Late Miocene to early Pleistocene.

Fossil representation

Partial remains of several individuals.

In Depth

       Archaeopotamus is a genus of hippopotamuses that lived in Africa and the Middle East.‭ ‬Fossils of Archaeopotamus begin to appear in the late Miocene,‭ ‬making Archaeopotamus‭ ‬one of,‭ ‬perhaps even the oldest hippopotamus known.

Further Reading

– The Taxonomy and Nomenclature of the Hippopotamidae‭ (‬Mammalia,‭ ‬Artiodactyla‭) ‬and a Description of Two New Fossil Species.‭ ‬-‭ ‬Proceedings of the Koninklijke Nederlandse Akademie van Wetenschappen.‭ ‬Series B,‭ ‬Palaeontology,‭ ‬geology,‭ ‬physics,‭ ‬and chemistry.‭ ‬80‭ (‬2‭)‬:‭ ‬72‭–‬88.‭ ‬-‭ ‬S.‭ ‬C.‭ ‬Coryndon‭ ‬-‭ ‬1977. -‭ ‬A New Species of Hippopotamus Hexaprotodon Lothagamensis‭ (‬Mammalia:‭ ‬Hippopotamidae‭) ‬From the Late Miocene of Kenya.‭ ‬-‭ ‬Journal of Vertebrate Paleontology.‭ ‬20‭ (‬1‭)‬:‭ ‬177‭–‬185.‭ ‬-‭ ‬E.‭ ‬M.‭ ‬Weston‭ ‬-‭ ‬2000. -‭ ‬The phylogeny and taxonomy of Hippopotamidae‭ (‬Mammalia:‭ ‬Artiodactyla‭)‬:‭ ‬a review based on morphology and cladistic analysis.‭ ‬-‭ ‬Zoological Journal of the Linnean Society.‭ ‬143:‭ ‬1‭–‬26.‭ ‬-‭ ‬Jean-Renaud Boisserie‭ ‬-‭ ‬2005.

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