Explore this animal in Size of Extinct Animals ↗
469 / Cenozoic
Merycoidodon
Merycoidodon culbertsonii
A short face, tusk-like canines and grinding cheeks marked a herd-forming artiodactyl relative.
View original image · 1600 × 1067- Time range
- About 34–30 million years ago
- Final stage
- Early Oligocene
- Geographic range
- Open woodland and grassland · North America
01 / DEFINITION & ECOLOGY
What was Merycoidodon?
Merycoidodon (Merycoidodon culbertsonii) was an extinct organism known from About 34–30 million years ago, with a range in Open woodland and grassland · North America.
Life and ecology
Herds browsed and grazed while moving near water.
02 / DISAPPEARANCE
Why did Merycoidodon disappear?
Oligocene drying and changing grassland faunas are possible context; the fossil record does not establish a specific cause.
03 / EVIDENCE
How do scientists know about Merycoidodon?
Bone beds, skulls and tooth wear record sociality and mixed feeding.
04 / SOURCES & FURTHER READING
Check the source record
Use the scientific name to compare taxonomy, occurrence records and the fossil record. Database coverage and classifications may differ.
05 / REVISION HISTORY
How has this record changed?
- Rewrote an extinction cause that presented environmental or faunal turnover as established; it is now given as context the record does not prove.
- Verified authoritative entity sources and added three responsive reconstruction sizes.
- Initial bilingual species record published.
06 / CORRECTIONS & ADDITIONS