Eotypotherium
Extinct genus of mammals
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Eotypotherium is an extinct genus of mammal, belonging to the suborder Typotheria. It lived during the Early Miocene. Its fossilized remains were discovered in the Chucal Formation, in the Chilean altiplano, near the Salar de Surire, in South America.[1]
| Eotypotherium Temporal range: Early Miocene ~ | |
|---|---|
| Scientific classification | |
| Kingdom: | Animalia |
| Phylum: | Chordata |
| Class: | Mammalia |
| Order: | †Notoungulata |
| Family: | †Mesotheriidae |
| Genus: | †Eotypotherium Croft, Flynn & Wyss, 2004 |
| Species: | †E. chico |
| Binomial name | |
| †Eotypotherium chico Croft, Flynn & Wyss, 2004 | |
Etymology
The name Eotypotherium is composed of the greek prefix "Eo-", meaning "dawn", and of the suffix "-typotherium", an invalid name for the genus Mesotherium, which gave its name to the suborder Typotheria. This name was given due to the relative antiquity of this taxon compared to other Mesotheriidae.[1]
Description
Holotype
The holotype, SGOPV 5157, held by the Chilean National Museum of Natural History in Santiago de Chile, includes the right half of a face, with the maxilla and the right zygomatic arch.[1]