Hyrachyus

Hy-rak-hy-us.
By Lilah Turner
Published on

Lilah Turner

Evolutionary Biologist

Lilah Turner investigates how prehistoric animals adapted to changing environments, offering insights into evolution's mechanisms.

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Turner, L. (2013, February 27). Hyrachyus. Prehistoric-wildlife. https://www.prehistoric-wildlife.com/species/hyrachyus/

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Name

Hyrachyus ‭(‬Hyrax pig‭)‬.

Phonetic

Hy-rak-hy-us.

Named By

Classification

Chordata,‭ ‬Mammalia,‭ ‬Perissodactyla,‭ ‬Hyrachyidae.

Diet

Herbivore.

Species

H.‭ ‬affinis,‭ ‬H.‭ ‬bicornutus,‭ ‬H.‭ ‬douglassi,‭ ‬H.‭ ‬eximius,‭ ‬H.‭ ‬modestus

Size

Up to about‭ ‬1.5‭ ‬meters long.

Known locations

Seemingly across northern Eurasia and North America with countries including England,‭ ‬France,‭ ‬Germany,‭ ‬Jamaica,‭ ‬Japan Spain,‭ ‬Switzerland and the USA.

Time Period

Thanetian of the Paleocene through to Lutetian of the Eocene.

Fossil representation

Remains of well over‭ ‬100‭ ‬individuals.

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 Eocene of Jamaica,‭ ‬D.‭ ‬P.‭ ‬Domning,‭ ‬R.‭ ‬J.‭ ‬Emry,‭ ‬R.‭ ‬W.‭ ‬Portel,‭ ‬S.‭ ‬K.‭ ‬Donovan‭ & ‬K.‭ ‬S.‭ ‬Schindler‭ ‬-‭ ‬1997.

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