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[edit] Chalicotherium
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Macrotherium Lartet, 1837 |
Chalicotherium (Ancient Greek χαλιξ/khalix, khalik-: pebble/gravel + θηρίον/thērion, diminutive of θηρ/thēr : beast) was a genus of extinct perissodactyl mammal hailing from Upper Oligocene to Lower Pliocene strata located in Europe (France, Germany, Greece, Hungary) and Asia (India and China). This animal would look much like other chalicotheriid species: an odd looking herbivore with long clawed forelimbs and stouter weight-bearing hindlimbs.
The type species, Chalicotherium goldfussi, from Miocene and Pliocene Europe, was described by Kaup in 1833 and since then 8 other species have been confidently assigned to this genus. According to current phylogenetic analyses Chalicotherium has two daugther genera, Anisodon and Nestoritherium, thus rendering it paraphyletic.
[edit] Description
Chalicotherium, like many members of Perissodactyla, was adapted to browsing, though uniquely adapted to do so among its ungulate relatives. It used its long heavily clawed arms to reach for high branches and bring them close to its horse-like head to strip them clean of leaves. The somewhat short head itself shows adaptation to a diet of soft vegetation, since, as the animal reached maturity, the incisors and upper canines were shed implying that muscular lips and the resulting gum pads were enough to crop fodder.
Callosities on the ischium imply that these animals would sit on their haunches for extended periods of time probably while feeding. Pad-supporting bony growth on the dorsal side of the hand phalanges is interpreted as evidence of knuckle-walking, which would probably be useful to avoid wearing down the claws to the point they were no longer useful either as a forage collecting rake or as a formidable defensive weapon.
All of these characteristics show some convergence with giant sloths, gorillas and giant pandas.
[edit] History
The type specimen for Chalicotherium goldfussi was found in the Lower Pliocene strata of Eppelsheim, in the Grand Duchy of Hesse, Germany. Kaup, when describing this new animal in 1833, found the teeth to be pebble-like and named the creature accordingly. Later on, limbs found in strata located at Sansan in the department of Gers, Southwestern France, were first described as Macrotherium by Lartet in 1837. Further study of these fossil remains and subsequent finds by Filhol warranted a referral of the material described as Macrotherium to Chalicotherium.
[edit] Species
- Chalicotherium goldfussi Kaup 1833.
- The type species, it lived in the German Lower Pliocene Eppelsheim beds. It weighed in at 1500 kg and was 2.6 m high at the shoulder.
- Chalicotherium antiquum Kaup.
- Found in the same locality as the type species.
- Chalicotherium giganteum Pictet 1844
- First described as Macrotherium giganteum Gervais, it was found in the Upper Miocene strata located at Sansan, France.
- Chalicotherium brevirostris
- First described as Macrotherium brevirostris Colbert 1934, this species hails from the Upper Miocene Tung Gur Formation, Inner Mongolia, China.
- Chalicotherium rusigense Butler 1962
- Chalicotherium pilgrimi
- Formerly known as Schizotherium pilgrimi Forster Cooper, then referred to Macrotherium, this species hails from the Lower Miocene Bugti beds of Pakistan.
- Chalicotherium wetzleri
- Formerly described as Schizotherium wetzleri this species hails from Oligocene beds located in France, leading scientists to believe it was widespread in Western Europe.
- Chalicotherium salinum
- First described as Macrotherium salinum Forster Cooper, this species hails from the Lower Pliocene Lower Siwaliks beds in India.
- Chalicotherium wuduensis
- Chalicotherium grande Blainville, 1849.
- Further study after this species' first description as Macrotherium grande Lartet, 1837, and subsequent referral to Chalicotherium by Blainville, warranted it to be referred to a new genus, Anisodon Lartet, 1851, as Anisodon grande.
[edit] Attributed specimens
- Chalicotherium cf. C. brevirostris Wang et al 2001.
- Hailing for the Tsaidam Basin, northern Qinghai-Tibetan Plateau, China.
- "Chalicotherium modicum" Stehlin 1905.
- A nomen nudum, actually a Schizotherium priscum tooth.
[edit] Phylogeny
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[edit] See also
[edit] References
- Grande Enciclopédia Portuguesa e Brasileira, vol. 5. (1936-1960). Editorial Enciclopédia, Lda, Lisbon.
- Chalicotherium at Atlas Virtual da Pré-História. Retrieved 22 March 2007.
- Chalicotheriidae at Mikko's Phylogeny Archive. Retrieved 22 March 2007.
- Butler, P. M., 1978: Chalicotheriidae. 368-370. in Maglio, V. J. & Cooke, H. B. S., (eds.) 1978: Evolution of African mammals. –Harvard University Press, Cambridge, Massachusetts & London, England, 1978, xiv-641
- Carroll, R. L., 1988: Vertebrate paleontology and evolution. –W. H. Freeman and company, New York, 1988, 698.
- Carroll, R. L., 1988: Appendix. 594-648. in Carroll, R. L., 1988: Vertebrate paleontology and evolution. –W. H. Freeman and company, New York, 1988, 698.
- Coombs, M. C., 1989: Interrelationships and diversity in the Chalicotheriidae. 438-457. in Prothero, D. R. & Schoch, R. M., (eds.) 1989: The Evolution of Perissodactyls. –Oxford University Press, New York, New York & Oxford, England, 1989, ix-537
- Coombs, M. C., Hunt, Jr, R. M., Stepleton, E., Albright III, L. B. & Fremd, T. J., 2001: Stratigraphy, chronology, biogeography, and taxonomy of Early Miocene small chalicotheres in North America. –Journal of Vertebrate Paleontology: Vol. 21, #3, pp. 607-620
- Geraads, D., Spassov, N. & Kovachev, D., 2001: New Chalicotheriidae (Perissodactyla, Mammalia) from the Late Miocene of Bulgaria. –Journal of Vertebrate Paleontology: Vol. 21, #3, pp. 569-606
- Hooker, J. J. & Dashzeveg, D., 2004: The origin of chalicotheres (Perissodactyla, Mammalia) –Palaeontology: Vol. 47, #6, pp. 1363-1386
- Lucas, S. G. & Schoch, R. M., 1989: Taxonomy and biochronology of Eomoropus and Grangeria, Eocene chalicotheres from the western United States and China. 422-437. in Prothero, D. R. & Schoch, R. M., (eds.) 1989: The Evolution of Perissodactyls. –Oxford University Press, New York, New York & Oxford, England, 1989, ix-537
- McKenna, M. C. & Bell, S. K., (eds.) 1997: Classification of mammals – above the species level. –Columbia University Press, New York, 1997, xii-631
- Prothero, D. R. & Schoch, R. M., 1989: Classification of the Perissodactyla. 530-537. in Prothero, D. R. & Schoch, R. M., (eds.) 1989: The Evolution of Perissodactyls. –Oxford University Press, New York, New York & Oxford, England, 1989, ix-537
- Remy, J.-A., Jaeger, J.-J., Chaimanee, Y., Soe, U. A. N., Marivaux, L., Sudre, J., Tun, S. T., Marandat, B. & Dewaele, E., 2005: A new chalicothere from the Pondaung Formation (late Middle Eocene) of Myanmar. –Comptes Rendus de l'Académie des Sciencies, Paris: Palevol: Vol. 4, pp. 341-349
- The America Heritage Dictionary of English Language. 2004, 2000. Houghton Mifflin Company.
- Ancylopoda at LoveToKnow 1911
- Wang, Xiaoming; Wang, Banyue (2001): New material of Chalicotherium from the Tsaidam Basin in the northern Qinghai-Tibetan Plateau, China. Palaeontologische Zeitschrift, Vol 75, Fascicle 2. Pages 219-226.
- Margery Chalifoux Coombs. Additional Schizotherium material from China, and a review of Schizotherium dentitions (Perissodactyla, Chalicotheriidae). April 24, 1978. American Museum Novitates nr 2647. pages 1-18. The American Museum Of Natural History. New York, N.Y.
- Edwin H. Colbert. Distributional and phylogenetic studies on Indian fossil mammals. III – A classification of the Chalicotherioidea. May 8,1935 American Museum Novitates nr 798, 56.9 (54). The American Museum Of Natural History New York City
