Telicomys

Tel-e-c om-iss.
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Lilah Turner

Evolutionary Biologist

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

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Name

Telicomys.

Phonetic

Tel-e-c om-iss.

Named By

Kraglievich‭ ‬-‭ ‬1926.

Classification

Chordata,‭ ‬Mammalia,‭ ‬Rodentia,‭ ‬Hystricomorpha,‭ ‬Dinomyidae.

Diet

Herbivore.

Species

T.‭ ‬giganteus,‭ ‬gigantissimus,‭ ‬T.‭ ‬amazonensis‭?

Size

At least‭ ‬2‭ ‬meters long.

Known locations

Brazil‭ ‬-‭ ‬Solimoes Formation.

Time Period

Tortonian of the Miocene.

Fossil representation

Partial remains of several individuals.

In Depth

       Telicomys is a genus of very large rodent that lived in Brazil during the Miocene.‭ ‬At a glance,‭ ‬Telicomys looks very similar to genera such as Phoberomys,‭ ‬Josephoartigasia which also lived in South America,‭ ‬though a little bit after Telicomys disappeared.‭ ‬All of these genera are perceived to have had a similar ecological niche as the modern day capybara,‭ ‬though grander in size.

Further Reading

Further reading- Los grandes roedores terciarios de la Argentina y sus relaciones con ciertos g�neros pleistocenos de las Antillas. – Anales del Museo Nacional de Buenos Aires 34:121-135. – L. Kraglievich – 1926.

SPECIES SPOTLIGHT