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Mesonyx ("middle claw") was a member of the family Mesonychidae, the best known family of the Order Mesonychia (sometimes referred to by an older name, "Acreodi"), an order that may have been ancestral to cetaceans. It was a wolflike predator from the Middle Eocene of Wyoming and East Asia (around 45 million years ago). Agile limbs made it a fast runner, and it probably hunted hoofed plant eaters, moving lightly on its toes. However, instead of claws, Mesonyx's toes ended in small hooves. Its long skull had a crest above the braincase to anchor large jaw muscles and give it a powerful bite.
[edit] References
- Much of this information comes from Dinosaur Encyclopedia
