Moropus

From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

iMoropus
Moropus elatus skeleton at the National Museum of Natural History, Washington, DC
Conservation status
Extinct (fossil)
Scientific classification
Kingdom: Animalia Phylum: Chordata Class: Mammalia Order: Perissodactyla Family: Chalicotheriidae Genus: Moropus

Moropus (meaning "slow foot") is an extinct mammal, belonging to a group called chalicotheres, which were perissodactyl ("odd-toed") mammals that include the modern horse, rhino, and tapir. Moropus lived mainly during the Miocene epoch.

Like other chalicotheres, they differed from their modern relatives in having large claws, rather than hooves, on the front feet; these claws may have been used for defense or digging for food. Moropus stood about eight feet tall at the shoulder.

Fossils of Moropus have been found in North America.

[edit] See also

• Ancylotherium