Amynodontidae
Amynodontidae
Extinct family of mammals
Amynodontidae ("defensive tooth")[4][5] is a family of extinct perissodactyls related to true rhinoceroses. They are commonly portrayed as semiaquatic hippo-like rhinos[6][7] but this description only fits members of the Metamynodontini; other groups of amynodonts like the cadurcodontines had more typical ungulate proportions and convergently evolved a tapir-like proboscis.
The Greek name of the family describes their tusks, derived from enlarged canine teeth. Odd-toed ungulates are herbivores, so these tusks would have been used either to deter or defend against predators (as suggested by the name) or perhaps in fights among males.[8]
Their fossils have been found in North America, and Eurasia ranging in age from the Middle Eocene to the Early Oligocene, with a single genus (Cadurcotherium) surviving into the Late Oligocene in South Asia (Pakistan).[9] The genus Metamynodon may have survived into the early Miocene.[citation needed]