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Uintatherium is an extinct genus of mammals. Fossil remains were discovered near Fort Bridger, Wyoming. This was a large browsing animal, about the size of a rhinoceros. What was most unusual about Uintatherium was its skull which was large and strongly built. The large upper canines were apparently formidable defensive weapons. The skulls of the males bore six prominent bony protuberances which grew from the frontal region of the skull. The function of these structures is unknown. They may have been of use for defense or sexual display. Uintatherium lived during the early to middle portions of the Eocene period. It was an herbivore, eating leaves, grasses and shrubs. It become extinct by climatic changes and competition with chalicotheres, brontotheres, and true rhinoceroses.
A cast of a Uintatherium skeleton is on display at the Utah Field House of Natural History State Park.
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