Merycoidodon

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Merycoidodon Fossil range: late Eocene to middle Oligocene
Painting from around 1920.
Scientific classification
Kingdom: Animalia Phylum: Chordata Class: Mammalia Order: Artiodactyla Family: †Merycoidodontidae Subfamily: †Merycoidodontinae Genus: †Merycoidodon Leidy, 1848
Type species
†Merycoidodon culbertsoni
Subgenera and Species[1]
†Merycoidodon †M. (?M.) presidioensis †M. (M.) culbertsoni †Otarohyus †M. (O.) bullatus †M. (O.) major unassigned †M. dunagani
Synonyms
†Blickohyus Schultz and Falkenbach, 1968 †Genetochoerus Schultz and Falkenbach, 1968 †Oreodon Leidy, 1851 †Otionohyus Schultz and Falkenbach, 1968 †Paramerycoidodon Schultz and Falkenbach, 1968 †Prodesmatochoerus Schultz and Falkenbach, 1954 †Promesoreodon Schultz and Falkenbach, 1949 †Subdesmatochoerus Schultz and Falkenbach, 1954

The genus Merycoidodon ("Ruminating teeth") refers to a prehistoric artiodactyl mammal, more popularly known by the name Oreodon ("Hillock teeth").

Most researchers in paleobiology and paleontology, however, now use the antecedent genus Merycoidodon to refer to this Oligocene epoch oreodont. The name "Oreodon" is actually a synonym of the fish genus Orodus, and is, thus, not a valid scientific name.

Taxonomically speaking, Merycoidodon (a.k.a. Oreodon) belongs to the family "Merycoidodontidae" (once known as "Oreodontidae"), a group of artiodactyls related to camels that were endemic to North America. Its ancestors date back to the Eocene and its last descendants are known from the Pliocene, so that oreodonts, broadly speaking, lived throughout the whole of the Tertiary era.

Their body was longish (same size as sheep) and the limbs short. Their fore limbs had five toes (although the first one was vestigal) and their hind limbs had four. The dentition resembles deer's teeth in structure, except for the strong canines which are very striking.

Oreodonts lived in large herds and moved about from place to place. They seem to have had a predilection for well-watered regions, where food was plentifull and succulent. At one time, oreodonts were as plentiful in south Dakota as zebras are today in the steppes of North Africa.

[edit] References

• Benes, Josef. Prehistoric Animals and Plants. Pg. 219. Prague: Artua, 1979.