''Mylohyus'' is an extinct genus of
peccary
A peccary (also javelina or skunk pig) is a medium-sized, pig-like hoofed mammal of the family Tayassuidae (New World pigs). They are found throughout Central and South America, Trinidad in the Caribbean, and in the southwestern area of North ...
found in
North
North is one of the four compass points or cardinal directions. It is the opposite of south and is perpendicular to east and west. ''North'' is a noun, adjective, or adverb indicating Direction (geometry), direction or geography.
Etymology
T ...
and
Central America
Central America ( es, América Central or ) is a subregion of the Americas. Its boundaries are defined as bordering the United States to the north, Colombia to the south, the Caribbean Sea to the east, and the Pacific Ocean to the west. ...
. It first evolved during the Late
Miocene
The Miocene ( ) is the first geological epoch of the Neogene Period and extends from about (Ma). The Miocene was named by Scottish geologist Charles Lyell; the name comes from the Greek words (', "less") and (', "new") and means "less recen ...
and became extinct at the end of the Pleistocene, around 12,000 years ago.
Six species were known, the most famous being ''Mylohyus nasutus'', also known as the
long-nosed peccary
The long-nosed peccary (''Mylohyus nasutus'') is an extinct mammal species of the peccary family (Tayassuidae). It is one of two peccary-species that existed in the US-Midwest during the last ice age.
Description
The long-nosed peccary was a ...
. The genus was slightly larger-bodied than any modern peccaries, with an estimated mass of .
Isotope and anatomical studies have suggested that the diet of ''Mylohyus'' varied over geological time, from being primarily a
C3 browser during the
Blancan
The Blancan North American Stage on the geologic timescale is the North American faunal stage according to the North American Land Mammal Ages chronology (NALMA), typically set from 4,750,000 to 1,806,000 years Before Present, BP, a period of . , with an increasing consumption of
C4 vegetation during the
Irvingtonian
The Irvingtonian North American Land Mammal Age on the geologic timescale is the North American faunal stage according to the North American Land Mammal Ages chronology (NALMA), spanning from 1.9 million – 250,000 years BP.[ ...]
, with a relatively even mixture of C3 and C4 during the
Rancholabrean
The Rancholabrean North American Land Mammal Age on the geologic timescale is the North American faunal stage according to the North American Land Mammal Ages chronology (NALMA), typically set from less than 240,000 years to 11,000 years BP, a p ...
. Suggestions have been made that it was frugivorous and also consumed hard browse like twigs.
Sources
External links
Explore the Ice Age Midwest - Long-nosed PeccaryZipcodezoo - ''Mylohyus'' (Genus)
Pliocene even-toed ungulates
Pliocene mammals of North America
Pleistocene even-toed ungulates
Pleistocene mammals of North America
Pliocene first appearances
Holocene extinctions
Fossil taxa described in 1860
Taxa named by Joseph Leidy
Prehistoric even-toed ungulate genera
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