''Titanohyrax'' is an extinct

genus Genus ( plural genera ) is a taxonomic rank used in the biological classification of living and fossil organisms as well as viruses. In the hierarchy of biological classification, genus comes above species and below family. In binomial nom ...

of large to very large hyrax from the

Eocene The Eocene ( ) Epoch is a geological epoch that lasted from about 56 to 33.9 million years ago (mya). It is the second epoch of the Paleogene Period in the modern Cenozoic Era. The name ''Eocene'' comes from the Ancient Greek (''ēṓs'', " ...

and Oligocene. Specimens have been discovered in modern-day Algeria, Tunisia, Egypt and Libya. Some species, like ''T. ultimus'', are estimated to be as large as the modern

rhinoceros A rhinoceros (; ; ), commonly abbreviated to rhino, is a member of any of the five extant species (or numerous extinct species) of odd-toed ungulates in the family Rhinocerotidae. (It can also refer to a member of any of the extinct species ...

. ''Titanohyrax'' species are still poorly known due to their rarity in the fossil record. ''Titanohyrax'' is unusual among the numerous Paleogene

hyracoids Hyraxes (), also called dassies, are small, thickset, herbivorous mammals in the order Hyracoidea. Hyraxes are well-furred, rotund animals with short tails. Typically, they measure between long and weigh between . They are superficially simila ...

by its lophoselenodont teeth (having teeth that are

lophodont The molars or molar teeth are large, flat teeth at the back of the mouth. They are more developed in mammals. They are used primarily to grind food during chewing. The name ''molar'' derives from Latin, ''molaris dens'', meaning "millstone to ...

and

selenodont Selenodont teeth are the type of molars and premolars commonly found in ruminant herbivores. They are characterized by low crowns, and crescent-shaped cusps when viewed from above (crown view). The term comes from the Ancient Greek roots (, ' ...

, fully molariform premolars, and relatively high-crowned cheek teeth. This suggests the genus had a

folivorous In zoology, a folivore is a herbivore that specializes in eating leaves. Mature leaves contain a high proportion of hard-to-digest cellulose, less energy than other types of foods, and often toxic compounds.Jones, S., Martin, R., & Pilbeam, D. (1 ...

diet.Rasmussen, D. T., 1989. The evolution of the Hyracoidea: a review of the fossil evidence. In: Prothero, D.R., Schoch, R.M. (Eds.), The Evolution of Perissodactyls. Oxford University Press, New York, pp. 57-78. The genus was first described by in 1922 for the species ''T. ultimus'' from the early Oligocene of the

Jebel Qatrani Formation The Jebel Qatrani Formation (also Gebel Qatrani) is a palaeontological and geologic formation located in the Faiyum Governorate of central Egypt. Conformably overlying the Qasr el Sagha Formation. It is exposed namely between the Jebel Qatrani ...

, Fayum Depression,

Egypt Egypt ( ar, مصر , ), officially the Arab Republic of Egypt, is a transcontinental country spanning the northeast corner of Africa and southwest corner of Asia via a land bridge formed by the Sinai Peninsula. It is bordered by the Medit ...

. The author described it as an “extremely gigantic species, being the largest of all the hyracoids hitherto known” - estimates of body mass range from to . ''T. tantulus'' is the smallest ''Titanohyrax'' species known, with a body mass of around .

References

Sources

* ''Fossils'' (Smithsonian Handbooks) by David Ward (Page 277) Prehistoric hyraxes Eocene mammals of Africa Oligocene mammals of Africa Prehistoric placental genera Fossil taxa described in 1922 {{paleo-afrotheria-stub

See also

References

Sources