Saotherium
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
| Saotherium Temporal range: Early Pliocene | |
|---|---|
Scientific classification  | |
| Kingdom: | Animalia |
| Phylum: | Chordata |
| Class: | Mammalia |
| Order: | Artiodactyla |
| Family: | Hippopotamidae |
| Genus: | †Saotherium Boisserie, 2005[1] |
| Species: | †S. mingoz |
| Binomial name | |
| †Saotherium mingoz Boisserie, 2005 | |
Saotherium is an extinct genus of hippopotamid from the Early Pliocene of Africa, specifically Chad. It is represented by a single species, S. mingoz. The earliest fossils appear at the start of the Pliocene, while the latest are dated to about 4 mya.[2]
Saotherium was a small hippopotamid similar to the pygmy hippopotamus in size and morphology. The elongated shape of its brain case and the relatively large orbits suggest a possible evolutionary relationship with the latter.[3][4]
