Dichobunidae

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Dichobunidae Fossil range: early Eocene - late Oligocene
Diacodexis pakistanensis and Pakicetus inachus
Scientific classification
Kingdom: Animalia Phylum: Chordata Class: Mammalia Infraclass: Eutheria Order: Artiodactyla Family: †Dichobunidae Turner, 1849
Genera
†Paraphenacodus †Dulcidon †Chorlakkia †Pakibune †Mouillacitherium †Hyperdichobune †Aumelasia †Meniscodon †Messelobunodon †Dichobune †Buxobune †Neufferia †Metriotherium †Synaphodus †Diacodexis †Bunophorus †Protodichobune †Lutzia †Tapochoerus †Neodiacodexis †Bunomeryx †Hylomeryx †Mesomeryx †Mytonomeryx †Pentacemylus †Hexacodus †Antiacodon †Eygalayodon †Homacodon †Auxontodon †Microsus †Texodon †Stibarus †Ibarus †Laredochoerus †Leptochoerus

Dichobunidae is an extinct family of early even-toed hoofed mammals (artiodactyls) known from the early Eocene to late Oligocene of North America, Europe, and Asia. Dichobunidae includes some of the earliest known artiodactyls, such as Diacodexis.

They were small animals, about the size of a modern rabbit, and had many primitive features. In life, they would have appeared similar to a long-tailed muntjac. They had four or five toes on each foot, with each toe ending in a small hoof. They had a complete set of teeth, unlike most later artiodactyls, with their more specialist dentitions^[1]. The shape of the teeth suggests that that they were browsers, feeding off small leaves, perhaps in the forest undergrowth. The shape of their body and limbs suggests they would have been fast running animals, unlike most of their contemporaries^[2].

[edit] Taxonomy

Classification of dichobunids following McKenna and Bell:^[3]

• Family Dichobunidae
  • †Paraphenacodus
  • †Dulcidon
  • †Chorlakkia
  • †Pakibune
  • Subfamily †Dichobuninae
    • Tribe †Hyperdichobunini
      • †Mouillacitherium
      • †Hyperdichobune
    • Tribe †Dichobunini
      • †Aumelasia
      • †Meniscodon
      • †Messelobunodon
      • †Dichobune
      • †Buxobune
      • †Neufferia
      • †Metriotherium
      • †Synaphodus
  • Subfamily †Diacodexeinae
    • †Diacodexis
    • †Bunophorus
    • †Protodichobune
    • †Lutzia
    • †Tapochoerus
    • †Neodiacodexis
  • Subfamily †Homacodontinae
    • Tribe †Bunomerycini
      • †Bunomeryx
      • †Hylomeryx
      • †Mesomeryx
      • †Mytonomeryx
      • †Pentacemylus
    • Tribe †Homacodontini
      • †Hexacodus
      • †Antiacodon
      • †Eygalayodon
      • †Homacodon
      • †Auxontodon
      • †Microsus
      • †Texodon
  • Subfamily †Leptochoerinae
    • †Stibarus
    • †Ibarus
    • †Laredochoerus
    • †Leptochoerus

[edit] References

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