Thomashuxleya
| Thomashuxleya Temporal range: Early Eocene | |
|---|---|
 | |
| Scientific classification | |
| Kingdom: | Animalia |
| Phylum: | Chordata |
| Class: | Mammalia |
| Order: | †Notoungulata |
| Suborder: | †Toxodonta |
| Family: | †Isotemnidae |
| Genus: | †Thomashuxleya Ameghino, 1901 |
| Species | |
| |
Thomashuxleya is an extinct genus of notoungulate mammal, named after famous 19th-century biologist Thomas Huxley.
Thomashuxleya was about 1.3 metres (4.3 ft) in length and weighted an estimated 113 kg, with a heavy body and strong limbs.[1] Its large skull had 44 teeth in its jaws, including large tusks which may have been used to dig around in earth. It had four toes on each foot, and probably walked somewhat like a modern peccary. It was a relatively generalised animal, not specialised for any particular way of life.[2] Theres is an almost complete skeleton of this animal in exhibition in the American Museum of Natural History. This skeleton was discovered during the Scarrit expedition to Patagonia, Argentina, that was led by the paleontologist George Gaylord Simpson.