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Hyaenodon And Leptomeryx
''Hyaenodon'' ("hyena-tooth") is an extinct genus of carnivorous hyaenodont mammals from tribe Hyaenodontini, within subfamily Hyaenodontinae in family Hyaenodontidae,Malcolm C. McKenna, Susan K. Bell (1997."Classification of Mammals: Above the Species Level" Columbia University Press, New York, 631 pages. that lived in Eurasia and North America during the middle Eocene to early Miocene, existing for about 25.1 million years. Description Typical of early carnivorous mammals, individuals of ''Hyaenodon'' had a very massive skull, but only a small brain. The skull is long with a narrow snout - much larger in relation to the length of the skull than in canine carnivores, for instance. The neck was shorter than the skull, while the body was long and robust and terminated in a long tail. Compared to the generally larger (but not closely related) ''Hyainailouros'', the dentition of ''Hyaenodon'' was geared more towards shearing meat and less towards bone crushing. Some species of ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Eocene
The Eocene ( ) Epoch is a geological epoch (geology), epoch that lasted from about 56 to 33.9 million years ago (mya). It is the second epoch of the Paleogene Period (geology), Period in the modern Cenozoic Era (geology), Era. The name ''Eocene'' comes from the Ancient Greek (''ēṓs'', "dawn") and (''kainós'', "new") and refers to the "dawn" of modern ('new') fauna that appeared during the epoch. The Eocene spans the time from the end of the Paleocene Epoch to the beginning of the Oligocene Epoch. The start of the Eocene is marked by a brief period in which the concentration of the carbon isotope Carbon-13, 13C in the atmosphere was exceptionally low in comparison with the more common isotope Carbon-12, 12C. The end is set at a major extinction event called the ''Grande Coupure'' (the "Great Break" in continuity) or the Eocene–Oligocene extinction event, which may be related to the impact of one or more large bolides in Popigai impact structure, Siberia and in what is now ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Canidae
Canidae (; from Latin, ''canis'', "dog") is a biological family of dog-like carnivorans, colloquially referred to as dogs, and constitutes a clade. A member of this family is also called a canid (). There are three subfamilies found within the canid family, which are the extinct Borophaginae and Hesperocyoninae, and the extant Caninae. The Caninae are known as canines, and include domestic dogs, wolves, coyotes, foxes, jackals and other extant and extinct species. Canids are found on all continents except Antarctica, having arrived independently or accompanied human beings over extended periods of time. Canids vary in size from the gray wolf to the fennec fox. The body forms of canids are similar, typically having long muzzles, upright ears, teeth adapted for cracking bones and slicing flesh, long legs, and bushy tails. They are mostly social animals, living together in family units or small groups and behaving cooperatively. Typically, only the dominant pair in a group bree ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Hyaenodon Heinrich Harder
''Hyaenodon'' ("hyena-tooth") is an extinct genus of carnivorous hyaenodont mammals from tribe Hyaenodontini, within subfamily Hyaenodontinae in family Hyaenodontidae,Malcolm C. McKenna, Susan K. Bell (1997."Classification of Mammals: Above the Species Level" Columbia University Press, New York, 631 pages. that lived in Eurasia and North America during the middle Eocene to early Miocene, existing for about 25.1 million years. Description Typical of early carnivorous mammals, individuals of ''Hyaenodon'' had a very massive skull, but only a small brain. The skull is long with a narrow snout - much larger in relation to the length of the skull than in canine carnivores, for instance. The neck was shorter than the skull, while the body was long and robust and terminated in a long tail. Compared to the generally larger (but not closely related) ''Hyainailouros'', the dentition of ''Hyaenodon'' was geared more towards shearing meat and less towards bone crushing. Some species of ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Oligocene
The Oligocene ( ) is a geologic epoch of the Paleogene Period and extends from about 33.9 million to 23 million years before the present ( to ). As with other older geologic periods, the rock beds that define the epoch are well identified but the exact dates of the start and end of the epoch are slightly uncertain. The name Oligocene was coined in 1854 by the German paleontologist Heinrich Ernst Beyrich from his studies of marine beds in Belgium and Germany. The name comes from the Ancient Greek (''olígos'', "few") and (''kainós'', "new"), and refers to the sparsity of extant forms of molluscs. The Oligocene is preceded by the Eocene Epoch and is followed by the Miocene Epoch. The Oligocene is the third and final epoch of the Paleogene Period. The Oligocene is often considered an important time of transition, a link between the archaic world of the tropical Eocene and the more modern ecosystems of the Miocene. Major changes during the Oligocene included a global expansion o ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Dinictis
''Dinictis'' is a genus of the Nimravidae, an extinct family of feliform mammalian carnivores, also known as "false saber-toothed cats". Assigned to the subfamily Nimravinae, ''Dinictis'' was endemic to North America from the Late Eocene to Early Miocene epochs (37.2—20.4 million years ago), existing for about . Taxonomy ''Dinictis'' was named by American paleontologist Joseph Leidy in 1854. Its type is ''Dinictis felina''. It was assigned to the Nimravidae by Leidy (1854); and to the Nimravinae by Flynn and Galiano (1982), Bryant (1991), and Martin (1998). In a 2016 study, the genus was found to contain only the species ''Dinictis felina''. Description ''Dinictis'' had a sleek body long, short legs high with only incompletely retractable claws, powerful jaws, and a long tail. It was very similar to its close relative, ''Hoplophoneus''. The shape of its skull is reminiscent of a felid skull rather than of the extremely short skull of the Machairodontinae. Compare ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Nimravidae
Nimravidae is an extinct family (biology), family of carnivorans, sometimes known as false saber-toothed cats, whose fossils are found in North America and Eurasia. Not considered to belong to the true cats (family Felidae), the nimravids are generally considered closely related and classified as a distinct family in the suborder Feliformia. Fossils have been dated from the Middle Eocene through the Late Miocene epochs (Bartonian through Tortonian stages, 40.4–7.2 million years ago), spanning about . The barbourofelids, which were formerly classified as a subfamily of the Nimravidae, were reassigned to their own distinct family Barbourofelidae in 2004. However, some recent studies suggest the barbourofelids are a branch of the nimravids, suggesting that this debate might not be settled yet. Morphology and evolution Most nimravids had muscular, low-slung, cat-like bodies, with shorter legs and tails than are typical of cats. Unlike extant taxon, extant Feliformia, the nimravids ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Brontothere
Brontotheriidae is a family of extinct mammals belonging to the order Perissodactyla, the order that includes horses, rhinoceroses, and tapirs. Superficially, they looked rather like rhinos, although they were actually more closely related to horses; Equidae and Brontotheriidae make up the suborder Hippomorpha. They lived around 56–34 million years ago, until the very close of the Eocene. Characteristics and evolution Brontotheres retain four toes on their front feet and three toes on their hind feet. Their teeth are adapted to shearing (cutting) relatively nonabrasive vegetation. Their molars have a characteristic W-shaped ectoloph (outer shearing blade). The evolutionary history of this group is well known due to an excellent fossil record in North America. The earliest brontotheres, such as ''Eotitanops'', were rather small, no more than a meter in height, and hornless. Brontotheres evolved massive bodies, although some small species such as ''Nanotitanops'' did pers ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Mesohippus
''Mesohippus'' (Greek: / meaning "middle" and / meaning "horse") is an extinct genus of early horse. It lived 37 to 32 million years ago in the Early Oligocene. Like many fossil horses, ''Mesohippus'' was common in North America. Its shoulder height is estimated about 60 cm tall. Description ''Mesohippus'' had longer legs than its predecessor ''Eohippus'' and stood about 60 cm (6 hands) tall. This equid is the first fully tridactyl horse in the evolutionary record, with the third digit being longer and larger than its second and fourth digits; ''Mesohippus'' had not developed a hoof at this point, rather it still had pads as seen in ''Hyracotherium'' and ''Orohippus''.MacFadden, B. J.. 1992. Fossil Horses: Systematics, Paleobiology, and Evolution of the Family Equidae. Cambridge University Press, Cambridge. The face of ''Mesohippus'' was longer and larger than earlier equids. It had a slight facial fossa, or depression, in the skull. The eyes were rounder, and were set wid ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Hyainailurus
''Hyainailouros'' ("hyena-cat") is an extinct polyphyletic genus of hyainailourid hyaenodont mammal of the polyphyletic tribe Hyainailourini within paraphyletic subfamily Hyainailourinae, that lived during the early to middle Miocene, of which there were at least three species spread across Europe, Africa, and Asia. Closely related to other large African hyaenodonts such as ''Simbakubwa'' and ''Megistotherium'', ''Hyainailouros'' walked with a semi-digitigrade stance and was probably capable of large, leaping bounds. Alongside its African relatives and the last members of the genus ''Hyaenodon ''Hyaenodon'' (" hyena-tooth") is an extinct genus of carnivorous hyaenodont mammals from tribe Hyaenodontini, within subfamily Hyaenodontinae in family Hyaenodontidae,Malcolm C. McKenna, Susan K. Bell (1997."Classification of Mammals: Above t ...'' from Asia, ''Hyainailouros'' was among the largest hyaenodonts that existed. Phylogeny The phylogenetic relationships of genus ''Hyai ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Dissopsalis
''Dissopsalis'' ("double scissors") is a genus of teratodontine hyaenodonts of the tribe Dissopsalini. The older species, ''D. pyroclasticus'', lived in Kenya during the middle Miocene, while the type species, ''D. carnifex'', lived in Pakistan and India during the middle to late Miocene.Barry, J. C. (1988.) "''Dissopsalis'', a middle and late Miocene proviverrine creodont (Mammalia) from Pakistan and Kenya." ''Journal of Vertebrate Paleontology'' 48(1): 25–45 ''Dissopsalis'' is the last known hyaenodont genus. It lived alongside its relative ''Hyaenodon weilini'', a member of the very successful genus ''Hyaenodon'', during the Miocene in China China, officially the People's Republic of China (PRC), is a country in East Asia. It is the world's most populous country, with a population exceeding 1.4 billion, slightly ahead of India. China spans the equivalent of five time zones and .... ''Dissopsalis'' survived to the end of the Miocene, whereas ''H. weilini'' did not ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Sinopa
''Sinopa'' ("swift fox") is a genus of hyaenodontid mammal from family Sinopidae, that lived in North America and Asia during the early to middle Eocene. Description ''Sinopa'' was a small genus of hyaenodontid mammals. Its carnassial teeth were the second upper molar and the lower third. ''Sinopa'' species had an estimated weight of 1.33 to 13.97 kilograms. The type specimen was found in the Bridger formation in Uinta County, Wyoming, and existed 50.3 to 46.2 million years ago. Taxonomy The putative African species ''"Sinopa" ethiopica'' from Egypt was considered a species of '' Metasinopa'' by Savage (1965), although Holroyd (1994) considered it a potential new genus related to '' Quasiapterodon''.Lewis, M. E., Morlo, M. (2010): Creodonta. – In : Werdelin, L., Sanders, W. (eds), Cenozoic Mammals of Africa. University of California Press, Berkeley, pp. 543–560. https://doi.org/10.1525/california/9780520257214.003.0026 Phylogeny The phylogenetic relationships of genus ''Sin ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Marten
A marten is a weasel-like mammal in the genus ''Martes'' within the subfamily Guloninae, in the family Mustelidae. They have bushy tails and large paws with partially retractile claws. The fur varies from yellowish to dark brown, depending on the species; it is valued by animal trappers for the fur trade. Martens are slender, agile animals, adapted to living in the taiga, which inhabit coniferous and northern deciduous forests across the Northern Hemisphere. Classification Results of DNA research indicate that the genus ''Martes'' is paraphyletic, with some studies placing ''Martes americana'' outside the genus and allying it with ''Eira'' and ''Gulo'', to form a new New World clade. The genus first evolved up to seven million years ago during the Miocene epoch. Fossils Several fossil martens have been described, including: *†''Martes campestris'' (Pliocene) *†''Martes wenzensis'' (Pliocene) *†''Martes vetus'' (Pleistocene) Another described fossil species, ''Martes n ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
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