Titanotylopus
Encyclopedia
Titanotylopus is an extinct genus of terrestrial
herbivore
the family
Camelidae, endemic to North America
from the Miocene
through Pleistocene
10.3 mya—300,000 years ago, existing for approximately .
Its name is derived from the Greek
words Τιτάν, τύλος and πούς — "Titan
", "knob" and "foot"; thus, "giant knobby-foot."
, Titanotylopus had relatively broad second phalanges, suggesting that it had true padded "cameltoes," like modern camels..
The species Titanotylopus spatulus was characterized by broad, spatula-like incisor
s. It has been found at Grand View
, Red Light
, Hudspeth County, Texas
, Donnelly Ranch, White Rock
, Mullen II (Kansas
), Sandahl Local Fauna (Nebraska
) and Vallecito Creek, Colorado
, 111 Ranch, Arizona in North America.
Like modern camels, it possessed a hump for fat storage; evidence for this is provided by the long neural spines on its thoracic
vertebrae .
, and Gigantocamelus for G. spatula, which includes G. fricki. There is a clear difference between the proximal phalanx of specimens assigned to Gigantocamelus and to Titanotylopus, based on skeleton
s associated with skull
material.
Terrestrial animal
Terrestrial animals are animals that live predominantly or entirely on land , as compared with aquatic animals, which live predominantly or entirely in the water , or amphibians, which rely on a combination of aquatic and terrestrial habitats...
herbivore
Herbivore
Herbivores are organisms that are anatomically and physiologically adapted to eat plant-based foods. Herbivory is a form of consumption in which an organism principally eats autotrophs such as plants, algae and photosynthesizing bacteria. More generally, organisms that feed on autotrophs in...
the family
Family (biology)
In biological classification, family is* a taxonomic rank. Other well-known ranks are life, domain, kingdom, phylum, class, order, genus, and species, with family fitting between order and genus. As for the other well-known ranks, there is the option of an immediately lower rank, indicated by the...
Camelidae, endemic to North America
North America
North America is a continent wholly within the Northern Hemisphere and almost wholly within the Western Hemisphere. It is also considered a northern subcontinent of the Americas...
from the Miocene
Miocene
The Miocene is a geological epoch of the Neogene Period and extends from about . The Miocene was named by Sir Charles Lyell. Its name comes from the Greek words and and means "less recent" because it has 18% fewer modern sea invertebrates than the Pliocene. The Miocene follows the Oligocene...
through Pleistocene
Pleistocene
The Pleistocene is the epoch from 2,588,000 to 11,700 years BP that spans the world's recent period of repeated glaciations. The name pleistocene is derived from the Greek and ....
10.3 mya—300,000 years ago, existing for approximately .
Its name is derived from the Greek
Greek language
Greek is an independent branch of the Indo-European family of languages. Native to the southern Balkans, it has the longest documented history of any Indo-European language, spanning 34 centuries of written records. Its writing system has been the Greek alphabet for the majority of its history;...
words Τιτάν, τύλος and πούς — "Titan
Titan (mythology)
In Greek mythology, the Titans were a race of powerful deities, descendants of Gaia and Uranus, that ruled during the legendary Golden Age....
", "knob" and "foot"; thus, "giant knobby-foot."
Paleobiology
Titanotylopus is distinguished from other early large camelids by its large upper canines and other distinguishing dental characteristics, and absence of lacrimal vacuities in the skull. Unlike the smaller, contemporaneous CamelopsCamelops
Camelops is an extinct genus of camels that once roamed western North America, where it disappeared at the end of the Pleistocene about 10,000 years ago. Its name is derived from the Greek κάμελος + , thus "camel-face."-Background:...
, Titanotylopus had relatively broad second phalanges, suggesting that it had true padded "cameltoes," like modern camels..
The species Titanotylopus spatulus was characterized by broad, spatula-like incisor
Incisor
Incisors are the first kind of tooth in heterodont mammals. They are located in the premaxilla above and mandible below.-Function:...
s. It has been found at Grand View
Grand View, Idaho
Grand View is a city in Owyhee County, Idaho, United States. The population was 470 at the 2000 census. It is part of the Boise City–Nampa, Idaho Metropolitan Statistical Area.-Geography:Grand View is located at ....
, Red Light
Red Light
Red Light is a 1949 film noir, directed and produced by Roy Del Ruth. It is based on the story "This Guy Gideon" by Don "Red" Barry, and features strong religious overtones.-Plot:...
, Hudspeth County, Texas
Hudspeth County, Texas
Hudspeth County is a county located in the U.S. state of Texas. It is one of the nine counties that comprise the Trans-Pecos region of West Texas. As of 2000, the population was 3,344. By 2010, the population had increased to 3,476. Its county seat is Sierra Blanca. The largest city is Fort Hancock...
, Donnelly Ranch, White Rock
White Rock
-Geography:In the United States*White Rock, Michigan*White Rock, New Mexico*White Rock, South Carolina*White Rock, South Dakota*White Rock , a ridgeline high point in the northeast United States; also White Rocks, the southernmost summit on the same ridgeline*White Rocks National Recreation Area,...
, Mullen II (Kansas
Kansas
Kansas is a US state located in the Midwestern United States. It is named after the Kansas River which flows through it, which in turn was named after the Kansa Native American tribe, which inhabited the area. The tribe's name is often said to mean "people of the wind" or "people of the south...
), Sandahl Local Fauna (Nebraska
Nebraska
Nebraska is a state on the Great Plains of the Midwestern United States. The state's capital is Lincoln and its largest city is Omaha, on the Missouri River....
) and Vallecito Creek, Colorado
Colorado
Colorado is a U.S. state that encompasses much of the Rocky Mountains as well as the northeastern portion of the Colorado Plateau and the western edge of the Great Plains...
, 111 Ranch, Arizona in North America.
Appearance
Titanotylopus possessed long and massive limbs, a comparatively small braincase, and a convex slope between the eyes. Its average height was 3.5 metres (11.5 ft).Like modern camels, it possessed a hump for fat storage; evidence for this is provided by the long neural spines on its thoracic
Thorax
The thorax is a division of an animal's body that lies between the head and the abdomen.-In tetrapods:...
vertebrae .
Alternate classification
While some authors have considered Gigantocamelus and Titanotylopus to be congeneric, others have maintained them separately. Voorhies and Corner, based on previously unreported material, documented that the two are indeed worthy of separate generic status. Harrison (1985) followed Voorhies and Corner in advocating the use of Titanotylopus for only T. nebraskensis, based on a lower jawJaw
The jaw is any opposable articulated structure at the entrance of the mouth, typically used for grasping and manipulating food. The term jaws is also broadly applied to the whole of the structures constituting the vault of the mouth and serving to open and close it and is part of the body plan of...
, and Gigantocamelus for G. spatula, which includes G. fricki. There is a clear difference between the proximal phalanx of specimens assigned to Gigantocamelus and to Titanotylopus, based on skeleton
Skeleton
The skeleton is the body part that forms the supporting structure of an organism. There are two different skeletal types: the exoskeleton, which is the stable outer shell of an organism, and the endoskeleton, which forms the support structure inside the body.In a figurative sense, skeleton can...
s associated with skull
Skull
The skull is a bony structure in the head of many animals that supports the structures of the face and forms a cavity for the brain.The skull is composed of two parts: the cranium and the mandible. A skull without a mandible is only a cranium. Animals that have skulls are called craniates...
material.
External links
A picture of Titanotylopus : http://www.flickr.com/photos/olduvaigeorge/4179958110/See also
- AepycamelusAepycamelusAepycamelus is an extinct genus of camelid, formerly called Alticamelus which lived during the Miocene 20.6-4.9 Ma existing for approximately ....
- CamelopsCamelopsCamelops is an extinct genus of camels that once roamed western North America, where it disappeared at the end of the Pleistocene about 10,000 years ago. Its name is derived from the Greek κάμελος + , thus "camel-face."-Background:...
- MegacamelusMegacamelusMegacamelus is an extinct genus of terrestrial herbivore in the family Camelidae, endemic to North America from the Miocene through Pliocene 10.3—4.9 mya, existing for approximately .This was the largest species of Camelid to roam the Earth.-Taxonomy:...
- OxydactylusOxydactylusOxydactylus, is an extinct terrestrial herbivorous genus of the tribe Camelini, family Camelidae, endemic to North America Oligocene through the Middle Miocene and in existence for approximately ....
- PoebrotheriumPoebrotheriumPoebrotherium is an extinct genus of terrestrial herbivore the family Camelidae, endemic to North America from the Eocene through Oligocene 38—30.8 mya, existing for approximately .-Discovery and history:...
- ProcamelusProcamelusProcamelus is an extinct genus of terrestrial herbivore the family Camelidae, endemic to North America from the Oligocene through Miocene 20.6—4.9 mya, existing for approximately .-Taxonomy:Priscocamelus was named by Leidy . It is not extant...
- ProtylopusProtylopusProtylopus is an extinct genus of camel, lived during middle to late Eocene some 45-40 million years ago in North America.The oldest camel known, it was also the smallest, reaching a length of , and probably weighing around . Based on its teeth, it probably fed on the soft leaves of forest plants...
- StenomylusStenomylusStenomylus is an extinct genus of miniature camelid native to North America. Its name is derived from the Greek στείνος, "narrow" and μύλος, "molar."...
- Pleistocene megafaunaPleistocene megafaunaPleistocene megafauna is the set of species of large animals — mammals, birds and reptiles — that lived on Earth during the Pleistocene epoch and became extinct in a Quaternary extinction event. These species appear to have died off as humans expanded out of Africa and southern Asia,...