''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 A ...

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 {{paleo-eventoedungulate-stub