Rhynchippus
Rhynchippus | |
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Rhynchippus equinus (on land) with Pyrotherium romeroi (in water) | |
Scientific classification | |
Kingdom: | Animalia |
Phylum: | Chordata |
Class: | Mammalia |
Order: | †Notoungulata |
Family: | †Notohippidae |
Subfamily: | † |
Genus: | †Rhynchippus Ameghino 1897 |
Type species | |
Rhynchippus equinus Ameghino 1897
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Species | |
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Rhynchippus ("Snout Horse") is an extinct genus of notoungulate mammals from the Late Oligocene (Deseadan in the SALMA classification) of South America. The genus was first described by Florentino Ameghino in 1897 and the type species is R. equinus, with lectotype MACN A 52–31.[2] Fossils of Rhynchippus have been found in the of Argentina, the and of Bolivia, and in the of Brazil.[3]
Description[]
Rhynchippus was about 1 metre (3.3 ft) in length and weighted up to 120 kilograms (260 lb), with a deep body and three clawed toes on each foot.[4] Although its teeth were extremely similar to those of horses or rhinos, Rhynchippus was actually a relative of Toxodon, having developed teeth suitable for grazing through convergent evolution. Unlike its relatives, Rhynchippus had no large tusks; they were the same size and shape as the incisors. Enamel on the molars allowed it to chew tough food.[5] The genus shows similarities with Mendozahippus, and .[1]
In 2016, a well-preserved specimen of R. equinus was described by Martínez et al. from the in Patagonia.[6] The extraordinary preservation of the specimen allowed the researchers to appreciate the three connected spaces that constitute a heavily pneumatized middle ear; the epitympanic sinus, the tympanic cavity itself, and the ventral expansion of the tympanic cavity through the notably inflated bullae.[7]
Paleoecology[]
Fossils of Rhynchippus have been found in various fossiliferous stratigraphic units in South America, all restricted to the Deseadan South American land mammal age. Several specimens come from the in the Golfo San Jorge Basin in southern Patagonia, with other finds from the of the in Bolivia, the from the same country, and the of the in eastern Brazil.
The Sarmiento and Salla Formations have provided a rich assemblage of many mammals and terror birds, as Physornis. The faunal assemblage of Rhynchippus fossil locations also constitutes several crocodylians, snakes (Madtsoia), helmeted bull frogs, a catfish; Taubateia paraiba, and the caiman . The Tremembé Formation is known for the preservation of several insects.
Gallery[]
Sketch of Rhynchippus by Frederic Brewster Loomis
Notes and references[]
Notes[]
References[]
- ^ a b Martínez et al., 2016, p.5
- ^ Martínez et al., 2016, p.6
- ^ Rhynchippus at Fossilworks.org
- ^ Patterson & Pires Costa, 2012, p.83
- ^ Palmer et al., 1999, p.252
- ^ Martínez et al., 2016, p.7
- ^ Martínez et al., 2016, p.27
Bibliography[]
Wikimedia Commons has media related to Rhynchippus. |
- Cranial Morphology of the Late Oligocene Patagonian Notohippid Rhynchippus equinus Ameghino, 1897 (Mammalia, Notoungulata) with Emphases in Basicranial and Auditory Region. PLoS ONE 11. 1–29. Accessed 2019-03-02. ; ; , and . 2016.
- ISBN 1-84028-152-9 . 1999. The Marshall Illustrated Encyclopedia of Dinosaurs and Prehistoric Animals, 252. Marshall Editions.
- University of Chicago Press. ISBN 978-0226649191 , and . 2012. Bones, Clones, and Biomes: The History and Geography of Recent Neotropical Mammals, 1–432.
- Toxodonts
- Chattian life
- Oligocene mammals of South America
- Deseadan
- Paleogene Argentina
- Fossils of Argentina
- Golfo San Jorge Basin
- Paleogene Bolivia
- Fossils of Bolivia
- Paleogene Brazil
- Fossils of Brazil
- Fossil taxa described in 1897
- Taxa named by Florentino Ameghino
- Prehistoric placental genera