Stylinodon
Encyclopedia
Stylinodon is an extinct genus
of taeniodont
mammal, and is the best known, and last genus of taeniodonts, lived some 45 million years ago during middle Eocene
in North America.
The skull suggests it had a blunt face, and a very short snout. Species ranged in size from pig
s to leopard
s, reached a body mass of up to 80 kilograms (176.4 lb). Its canines
had developed into huge, incisor
-like root-less teeth. Stylinodons molars
were covered in enamel
and continued growing throughout its life. Most likely, it fed on rough roots and tubers.
Genus
In biology, a genus is a low-level taxonomic rank used in the biological classification of living and fossil organisms, which is an example of definition by genus and differentia...
of taeniodont
Taeniodont
The taeniodonts were an early group of mammals who lived from the Palaeocene to the Eocene. This group evolved quickly into highly specialized digging animals. Taeniodont species varied greatly in size, from rat-sized to species as large as a bear. Later species developed prominent front teeth and...
mammal, and is the best known, and last genus of taeniodonts, lived some 45 million years ago during middle Eocene
Eocene
The Eocene Epoch, lasting from about 56 to 34 million years ago , is a major division of the geologic timescale and the second epoch of the Paleogene Period in the Cenozoic Era. The Eocene spans the time from the end of the Palaeocene Epoch to the beginning of the Oligocene Epoch. The start of the...
in North America.
The skull suggests it had a blunt face, and a very short snout. Species ranged in size from pig
Pig
A pig is any of the animals in the genus Sus, within the Suidae family of even-toed ungulates. Pigs include the domestic pig, its ancestor the wild boar, and several other wild relatives...
s to leopard
Leopard
The leopard , Panthera pardus, is a member of the Felidae family and the smallest of the four "big cats" in the genus Panthera, the other three being the tiger, lion, and jaguar. The leopard was once distributed across eastern and southern Asia and Africa, from Siberia to South Africa, but its...
s, reached a body mass of up to 80 kilograms (176.4 lb). Its canines
Canine tooth
In mammalian oral anatomy, the canine teeth, also called cuspids, dogteeth, fangs, or eye teeth, are relatively long, pointed teeth...
had developed into huge, incisor
Incisor
Incisors are the first kind of tooth in heterodont mammals. They are located in the premaxilla above and mandible below.-Function:...
-like root-less teeth. Stylinodons molars
Molar (tooth)
Molars are the rearmost and most complicated kind of tooth in most mammals. In many mammals they grind food; hence the Latin name mola, "millstone"....
were covered in enamel
Tooth enamel
Tooth enamel, along with dentin, cementum, and dental pulp is one of the four major tissues that make up the tooth in vertebrates. It is the hardest and most highly mineralized substance in the human body. Tooth enamel is also found in the dermal denticles of sharks...
and continued growing throughout its life. Most likely, it fed on rough roots and tubers.
External links
- http://www.paleocurrents.com/utah_field_house/2002_10_15ufh/HTML/146-4626_img.htm Photograph of skull at Utah Field House of Natural History Museum, at Vernal, UtahVernal, UtahVernal, Uintah County's largest city, is located in eastern Utah near the Colorado State Line, and 175 miles east of Salt Lake City. It is bordered on the north by the Uinta Mountains, one of the few mountains ranges in the world which lie in an east-west rather than the usual north to south...