''Xenorhinotherium'' is an

extinct Extinction is the termination of a kind of organism or of a group of kinds (taxon), usually a species. The moment of extinction is generally considered to be the death of the last individual of the species, although the capacity to breed and ...

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 macraucheniine

macraucheniid Macraucheniidae is a family in the extinct Meridiungulata, South American ungulate Order (biology), order Litopterna, that resembled various camelids. The reduced nasal bones of their skulls was originally suggested to have housed a small probosc ...

s, closely related to '' Macrauchenia'' of

Patagonia Patagonia () refers to a geographical region that encompasses the southern end of South America, governed by Argentina and Chile. The region comprises the southern section of the Andes Mountains with lakes, fjords, temperate rainforests, and g ...

. The

type species In zoological nomenclature, a type species (''species typica'') is the species name with which the name of a genus or subgenus is considered to be permanently taxonomically associated, i.e., the species that contains the biological type specim ...

is ''X. bahiense''.''Xenorhinotherium''
at

Fossilworks Fossilworks is a portal which provides query, download, and analysis tools to facilitate access to the Paleobiology Database, a large relational database assembled by hundreds of paleontologists from around the world. History Fossilworks was crea ...

.org

Taxonomy

Some authors consider the genus ''Xenorhinotherium'' a synonym of ''Macrauchenia'', while all others consider it a distinct genus. The name ''Xenorhinotherium'' means "Strange-Nosed Beast" and ''bahiense'' refers to the Brazilian state of

Bahia Bahia ( , , ; meaning "bay") is one of the 26 states of Brazil, located in the Northeast Region of the country. It is the fourth-largest Brazilian state by population (after São Paulo, Minas Gerais, and Rio de Janeiro) and the 5th-larges ...

, where the first fossils were found. ''Xenorhinotherium'' was a rather derived representative of the

Macraucheniidae Macraucheniidae is a family in the extinct South American ungulate order Litopterna, that resembled various camelids. The reduced nasal bones of their skulls was originally suggested to have housed a small proboscis, similar to that of the sai ...

, a group of litopterns with camel-like appearances. Probably derived from lower Miocene forms such as ''

Cramauchenia ''Cramauchenia'' is an extinct genus of litoptern South American ungulate. ''Cramauchenia'' was named by Florentino Ameghino. The name has no literal translation. Instead, it is an anagram of the name of a related genus ''Macrauchenia''. This ge ...

'' and ''

Theosodon ''Theosodon'' is an extinct genus of litoptern mammal from the Early to Middle Miocene of South America. Description ''Theosodon'' was long-legged with a long neck resembling modern llamas or guanacos. It was large for a litoptern, reaching ...

'', this animal probably closely related to the large macraucheniids of the

Pliocene The Pliocene ( ; also Pleiocene) is the epoch in the geologic time scale that extends from 5.333 million to 2.58Pleistocene The Pleistocene ( , often referred to as the ''Ice age'') is the geological Epoch (geology), epoch that lasted from about 2,580,000 to 11,700 years ago, spanning the Earth's most recent period of repeated glaciations. Before a change was fina ...

, such as '' Macrauchenia'' and ''

Windhausenia ''Windhausenia'' is an extinct genus of mammals belonging to the family Macraucheniidae and the order Litopterna. While it reached the size of its better known relative ''Macrauchenia'', its constitution was lighter. Remains from the genus have b ...

''. Below is a phylogenetic tree of the

, based on the work of McGrath ''et al''. 2018, showing the position of ''Xenorhinotherium''.

Characteristics

Serrania_de_la_Lindosa_rock_paintings_-_macraucheniid_-_Iriarte_et_al_2022 (cropped)

''X. bahiense'' was a

megafauna In terrestrial zoology, the megafauna (from Greek μέγας ''megas'' "large" and New Latin ''fauna'' "animal life") comprises the large or giant animals of an area, habitat, or geological period, extinct and/or extant. The most common thresho ...

herbivore A herbivore is an animal anatomically and physiologically adapted to eating plant material, for example foliage or marine algae, for the main component of its diet. As a result of their plant diet, herbivorous animals typically have mouthpar ...

that probably looked very much like '' Macrauchenia'', weighing about . In life, ''X. bahiense'' would have vaguely resembled a tall, humpless camel with three toes on each foot and either a

saiga The saiga antelope (, ''Saiga tatarica''), or saiga, is a critically endangered antelope which during antiquity inhabited a vast area of the Eurasian steppe spanning the foothills of the Carpathian Mountains in the northwest and Caucasus in t ...

-like

proboscis A proboscis () is an elongated appendage from the head of an animal, either a vertebrate or an invertebrate. In invertebrates, the term usually refers to tubular mouthparts used for feeding and sucking. In vertebrates, a proboscis is an elong ...

or a

moose The moose (in North America) or elk (in Eurasia) (''Alces alces'') is a member of the New World deer subfamily and is the only species in the genus ''Alces''. It is the largest and heaviest extant species in the deer family. Most adult ma ...

-like nose.

Pictographs A pictogram, also called a pictogramme, pictograph, or simply picto, and in computer usage an icon, is a graphic symbol that conveys its meaning through its pictorial resemblance to a physical object. Pictographs are often used in writing and g ...

from the Serranía de La Lindosa

rock formation A rock formation is an isolated, scenic, or spectacular surface rock outcrop. Rock formations are usually the result of weathering and erosion sculpting the existing rock. The term ''rock formation'' can also refer to specific sedime ...

of Guaviare,

Colombia Colombia (, ; ), officially the Republic of Colombia, is a country in South America with insular regions in North America—near Nicaragua's Caribbean coast—as well as in the Pacific Ocean. The Colombian mainland is bordered by the ...

, show what might possibly be ''Xenorhinotherium'' with three toes and a trunk, though the claims are highly controversial, and it is uncertain whether they even date to the last Ice Age.

Distribution

Fossils of ''Xenorhinotherium'', dating from the

Late Pleistocene The Late Pleistocene is an unofficial age in the international geologic timescale in chronostratigraphy, also known as Upper Pleistocene from a stratigraphic perspective. It is intended to be the fourth division of the Pleistocene Epoch withi ...

to the Early Holocene, have been found in the states of

, the Jandaíra Formation of

Rio Grande do Norte Rio Grande do Norte (, , ) is one of the states of Brazil. It is located in the northeastern region of the country, forming the northeasternmost tip of the South American continent. The name literally translates as "Great Northern River", re ...

, and

Minas Gerais Minas Gerais () is a state in Southeastern Brazil. It ranks as the second most populous, the third by gross domestic product (GDP), and the fourth largest by area in the country. The state's capital and largest city, Belo Horizonte (literally ...

in modern Brazil, and also in

Venezuela Venezuela (; ), officially the Bolivarian Republic of Venezuela ( es, link=no, República Bolivariana de Venezuela), is a country on the northern coast of South America, consisting of a continental landmass and many islands and islets in th ...

, in the localities of Muaco, Taima-Taima and Cuenca del Lago. Though not known from other countries, computer modelling suggests that the habitat in the western

Andean The Andes, Andes Mountains or Andean Mountains (; ) are the longest continental mountain range in the world, forming a continuous highland along the western edge of South America. The range is long, wide (widest between 18°S – 20°S l ...

slopes of Colombia,

Ecuador Ecuador ( ; ; Quechua: ''Ikwayur''; Shuar: ''Ecuador'' or ''Ekuatur''), officially the Republic of Ecuador ( es, República del Ecuador, which literally translates as "Republic of the Equator"; Quechua: ''Ikwadur Ripuwlika''; Shuar: ' ...

, and

Peru , image_flag = Flag of Peru.svg , image_coat = Escudo nacional del Perú.svg , other_symbol = Great Seal of the State , other_symbol_type = National seal , national_motto = "Firm and Happy f ...

would have been suitable for this animal, particularly in areas that have not been extensively excavated yet.

References

Bibliography

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Taxonomy

Characteristics

Distribution

References

Bibliography

Further reading