| Amynodontidae Temporal range: Late Eocene–Early Miocene |
|
|---|---|
| Gigantamynodon, Metamynodon, Cadurcodon | |
| Scientific classification | |
| Kingdom: | Animalia |
| Phylum: | Chordata |
| Class: | Mammalia |
| Order: | Perissodactyla |
| Family: | †Amynodontidae |
| Genera[1] | |
|
see text |
|
| Range of Amynodontidae based on fossil record | |
The Amynodonts were a group of hippo-like perissodactyls, related to true rhinoceri, that were descended from the Hyracodontidae. They ranged from North America, Europe and Asia during the Late Eocene to Miocene living from 46.2 Ma—7 Ma years ago and existed for approximately 39.2 million years.
The last species died out during the early Miocene of North America, due to competition with the true rhinoceros Teleoceras. Although more closely related to rhinoceroses, they had an appearance closer to modern hippopotamuses, with large, curved, canine teeth, and probably lived in a semi-aquatic habitat[2][3]. Some amynodonts, such as Cadurcodon, had an appearance closer to that of tapirs.
The most famous, and longest-lived genus is Metamynodon, which first appeared during the Late Eocene in Central Asia, and eventually died out during the early Miocene in North America, long after all other amynodont genera died out in Eurasia by the late Oligocene.
†Amynodontidae