Tetraconodon
Extinct genus of mammals
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
Tetraconodon was an extinct genus of even-toed ungulates that existed during the middle and late Miocene in Asia (India, Pakistan, Thailand, Myanmar).[2][3][4]
| Tetraconodon Temporal range: | |
|---|---|
Scientific classification  | |
| Kingdom: | Animalia |
| Phylum: | Chordata |
| Class: | Mammalia |
| Order: | Artiodactyla |
| Family: | Suidae |
| Subfamily: | †Tetraconodontinae |
| Genus: | †Tetraconodon Falconer, 1868 |
| Type species | |
| †Tetraconodon magnum Falconer, 1868 | |
| Species | |
Description
The last two pairs of premolars of Tetraconodon were extremely large, while the first two premolars were small, a unique characteristic of tetraconodontinae not found in other suids.[1]
Tetraconodon magnum was largest species, while T. malensis is the smallest.[5] Originally known from only the oversized premolars, T. magnum was once believed to have reached sizes comparable to that of a hippopotamus or rhinoceros.[6] Once more material was recovered, such size estimates were invalidated, but it was nonetheless a large suid.
