Proterix
Extinct genus of mammals
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
Proterix is an extinct genus of erinaceid mammal from the Late Oligocene to the Early Miocene of North America.
| Proterix Temporal range: | |
|---|---|
Scientific classification  | |
| Kingdom: | Animalia |
| Phylum: | Chordata |
| Class: | Mammalia |
| Order: | Eulipotyphla |
| Family: | Erinaceidae |
| Genus: | †Proterix Matthew, 1903 |
| Species | |
| |
Ecology
Proterix was most likely a burrowing insectivore.[1] The original reference suggests reduced limbs may be possible, due to the unusually high number of lumbar vertebrae, but cautions that conclusions must be reserved until a complete skeleton is found.[2] This proposal was exaggerated in a popular science book by Dougal Dixon, which speculated that it may have been a limbless mammal with an armored head.[3] Though very little of the post-cranial skeleton has been found, this situation is typical for mammals and not an indicator of unusual anatomy.[4][2]
