Archaeohyrax
Extinct genus of notoungulates
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
Archaeohyrax is a genus of extinct notoungulate mammal known from the Middle Eocene to Oligocene of Argentina and Bolivia.[1][2]
| Archaeohyrax | |
|---|---|
| |
| Archaeohyrax patagonicus | |
Scientific classification  | |
| Kingdom: | Animalia |
| Phylum: | Chordata |
| Class: | Mammalia |
| Order: | †Notoungulata |
| Family: | †Archaeohyracidae |
| Genus: | †Archaeohyrax Ameghino, 1897 |
| Type species | |
| †Archaeohyrax patagonicus Ameghino, 1897 | |
| Species | |
| |
Description
The holotype of the type species, A. patagonicus, is a skull with a tall, blunt muzzle, and high-crowned cheek teeth.[3] A. patagonicus was an extremely hypsodont animal, scoring 2.74 on the Hypsodonty Index.[4] When the skull is compared to those of the superficially similar hyraxes, the remains suggest a small animal approximately 45 centimetres (18 in) long.[3] The species A. suniensis is distinguished from A. patagonicus by the second mental foramen being situated more anteriorly in the former than in the latter, by the stylomastoid foramen in A. suniensis being situated closer to the tympanohyal recess than in A. patagonicus, and by the smaller facial extent of the premaxillae of A. suniensis.[5]
Distribution
Palaeobiology
Palaeoecology
The dental microwear of A. suniensis indicates that it was an herbivorous grazer, as its pattern of microscopic wear matches that of known grazers.[7]
