Eurotamandua

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Eurotamandua
Fossil range: Early to Middle Eocene

Eurotamandua joresi

Fossil

Kingdom:	Animalia
Phylum:	Chordata
Class:	Mammalia
Superorder:	Afredentata ?
Genus:	Eurotamandua

Eurotamandua ('European tamandua') is an extinct mammal that lived some 49 million years ago, during early Eocene. A single fossil is known, coming from the Messel Pit. It was about 90 cm (3 ft) long. When it was first discovered, it was originally thought to be an anteater, as it lacked the characteristic fused-hair scales of other pangolins. Eurotamandua's placement within the pangolins was done primarily because of a lack of the characteristic "xenarthran" joints found in all xenarthrans such as tamanduas. Eurotamandua may still be a stem Xenarthran, but likely belongs to another group entirely (Afredentata). While a distinct taxa, it is possible that Eomanis krebsi is also not a pangolin and belongs to this same group (Horovitz et al. 2005).

Eurotamandua bears characteristics found in almost all ant-eating mammals: long claws, a strongly elongated snout and most likely the same long, sticky tongue. Presumably it also fed on ants and termites. Eurotamandua got its name because it strongly resembled modern arboreal anteaters of the genus Tamandua, especially with its long, prehensile tail.

1 In popular culture
2 References
3 External links
4 Gallery

[edit] In popular culture

Eurotamandua appeared briefly in Episode 1 of Walking with Beasts, live acted by a tamandua.

[edit] References

Horovitz, Ines et al. 2005. Ankle structure in Eocene pholidotan mammal Eomanis krebsi and its taxonomic implications. Acta Palaeontol. Pol. 50 (3): 545–548

Hunter, John P. and Janis, Christine M. 2006. Spiny Norman in the Garden of Eden? Dispersal and early biogeography of Placentalia. J Mammal Evol 13:89–123