Showing posts tagged chalicothere

The Chalicotheres (family Chalicotheriidae)

The Chalicotheres are perhaps the most bizarre perissodactyls (odd toed ungulates) to have ever lived. While other perissodactyls possess hooves, Chalicotheres have secondarily evolved claws. Claws and hooves are both made from keratin (the same substance that your hair and fingernails are made of), which does not fossilize.

However, we can tell whether animals were clawed or hoofed in the fossil record by the different shapes of their highly modified hand and foot bones. The bones at the end of chalicothere fingers and toes show that they were originally covered by keratinous claws. Like brontotheres, the origins of chalicotheres is shrouded in mystery. No one is certain exactly how they are related to other perissodactyls, although they retain features in their feet and dentition that indicate that they are perissodactyls, despite their unusual appearance…

(read more: AMNH - NYC)

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(images: TL - Anisodon grande - Wikimedia Creative Commons; TR - skeleton of Moropus at the AMNH in 1917; BL - left forefoot of North American Moropuselatus, Osborn, 1907; BR - Moropus, 1917, Miocene fauna Agate Springs Nebraska, Erwin Christman)

lostbeasts:  Chalicotherium (at Munich Paleontology Museum, Germany) Chalicotherium is a genus of extinct browsing odd-toed ungulates of the order Perissodactyla and family Chalicotheriidae, found in Europe, Africa, and Asia during the Late Oligocene to Lower Pliocene, living from 16—7.75 mya, existing for approximately 8.25 million years… (read more) (by Bruce Aleksander & Dennis Milam) View high resolution

lostbeasts:  Chalicotherium

(at Munich Paleontology Museum, Germany)

Chalicotherium is a genus of extinct browsing odd-toed ungulates of the order Perissodactyla and family Chalicotheriidae, found in Europe, Africa, and Asia during the Late Oligocene to Lower Pliocene, living from 16—7.75 mya, existing for approximately 8.25 million years… (read more)

(by Bruce Aleksander & Dennis Milam)

(Reblogged from scientificillustration)
Chalicotheres  (from Greek chalix, “gravel” + therion, “beast”)  … were a group of herbivorous, odd-toed ungulate (perissodactyl) mammals spread throughout North America, Europe, Asia, and Africa during the Early Eocene to Early Pleistocene subepochs living from 55.8 mya—781,000 years ago, existing for approximately 55 million years. They evolved around 40 million years ago from small, forest animals similar to the early horses. Many chalicotheres, including such animals as Moropus and Chalicotherium, reached the size of a horse. By the late Oligocene, they had divided into two groups: one that grazed in open areas and another that was more adapted to woodlands. They died out around 3.5 million years ago, and are related to the extinct brontotheres, as well as modern day horses, rhinoceroses, and tapirs… (read more: Wikipedia)   (image: dmitrchel) View high resolution

Chalicotheres 

(from Greek chalix, “gravel” + therion, “beast”) 

… were a group of herbivorous, odd-toed ungulate (perissodactyl) mammals spread throughout North America, Europe, Asia, and Africa during the Early Eocene to Early Pleistocene subepochs living from 55.8 mya—781,000 years ago, existing for approximately 55 million years. They evolved around 40 million years ago from small, forest animals similar to the early horses. Many chalicotheres, including such animals as Moropus and Chalicotherium, reached the size of a horse. By the late Oligocene, they had divided into two groups: one that grazed in open areas and another that was more adapted to woodlands. They died out around 3.5 million years ago, and are related to the extinct brontotheres, as well as modern day horses, rhinoceroses, and tapirs…

(read more: Wikipedia)   (image: dmitrchel)

Restoration of Moropus (a miocene Chalicothere) threatening a pair of Daphoenus, on a mural made for the US government-owned Smithsonian Museum (1964) View high resolution

Restoration of Moropus (a miocene Chalicothere) threatening a pair of Daphoenus, on a mural made for the US government-owned Smithsonian Museum (1964)

The Chalicothere The Chalicothere was a prehistoric relative of horses, but instead of hooves, it had sharp claws that were an useful weapon against predators. In order to keep the claws from wearing out, the Chalicothere walked on its knuckles, like an ape, and it probably looked like a strange cross between a horse and a gorilla, or perhaps a giant sloth. This amazing beastie lived in Africa, Eurasia and North America during the Eocene to Pliocene periods, and despite its monstrous looks, it was completely vegetarian. (via: Amazing World) View high resolution

The Chalicothere

The Chalicothere was a prehistoric relative of horses, but instead of hooves, it had sharp claws that were an useful weapon against predators. In order to keep the claws from wearing out, the Chalicothere walked on its knuckles, like an ape, and it probably looked like a strange cross between a horse and a gorilla, or perhaps a giant sloth. This amazing beastie lived in Africa, Eurasia and North America during the Eocene to Pliocene periods, and despite its monstrous looks, it was completely vegetarian.

(via: Amazing World)