Thoatherium

<i>Thoatherium</i>

Thoatherium

Extinct genus of litopterns

Thoatherium (meaning "active swift-beast") is an extinct genus of litoptern mammals from the Early Miocene of Argentina. Fossils of the genus have been found in the Santa Cruz Formation in Argentina.[1]

Quick Facts Scientific classification, Type species ...

Description

Restoration of Thoatherium minusculum

With a length of 70 centimetres (2.3 ft), the gazelle-like Thoatherium was a small representative of the order Litopterna. Judging from its long legs, it was a fast runner. Thoatherium had remarkably reduced toes; only one horse-like hoof remained. Thoatherium even lacked splint bones, which are remnants of the second and fourth toe found in modern horses. Judging from its generalised, brachydont teeth, Thoatherium fed on soft leaves rather than on tough grasses.[2][3]

References

  1. [1]
    Thoatherium at Fossilworks.org
  2. [2]
    Palmer, D., ed. (1999). The Marshall Illustrated Encyclopedia of Dinosaurs and Prehistoric Animals. London: Marshall Editions. p. 247. ISBN 1-84028-152-9.
  3. [3]
    Darin A. Croft, Horned Armadillos and Rafting Monkeys: The Fascinating Fossil Mammals of South America, Indiana University Press, 29/08/2016


Stub icon

This prehistoric mammal-related article is a stub. You can help Wikipedia by expanding it.
Share this article:

This article uses material from the Wikipedia article Thoatherium, and is written by contributors. Text is available under a CC BY-SA 4.0 International License; additional terms may apply. Images, videos and audio are available under their respective licenses.