In Depth
Eoentelodon was a relatively small and early genus of entelodont that acquired its name from its early appearance on the landscape before the much larger Entelodon. However, its validity as a valid genus has been disputed, most specifically in a 2004 study by Lucas and Emry which saw the genus being declared to be a synonym to the related Brachyhyops from North America. However in 2007 this claim was countered by I. Vislobokova in an observation that not only is Eoentelodon different to Brachyhyops but that it is similar to Proentelodon. For this reason some researchers still list Eoentelodon as a valid genus while others continue to list it as a synonym.
Further Reading
Further reading- Eoentelodon—a New Primitive Entelodon from the Eocene of Lunan, Yunnan. – Vertebr. Palasiat. 2(1), 30–34. – M. Chow – 1958. – The oldest representative of Entelodontoidea (Artiodactyla, Suiformes) from the Middle Eocene of Khaichin Ula II, Mongolia, and some evolutionary features of this superfamily. – Paleontologicheskii Zhurnal (Paleontological Journal). 42 (6): 643–654. – I. A. Vislobokova – 2008.
