Explore this animal in Size of Extinct Animals ↗
569 / Cenozoic
Moropus
Moropus elatus
A horse-like head and enormous curved claws belonged to a herbivorous perissodactyl walking on its knuckles.
View original image · 1600 × 1067- Time range
- About 23–11 million years ago
- Final stage
- Middle Miocene
- Geographic range
- Woodland and river-valley grassland · North America
01 / DEFINITION & ECOLOGY
What was Moropus?
Moropus (Moropus elatus) was an extinct organism known from About 23–11 million years ago, with a range in Woodland and river-valley grassland · North America.
Life and ecology
It browsed shrubs and trees, using long forelimbs and claws to pull branches closer.
02 / DISAPPEARANCE
Why did Moropus disappear?
Late Miocene drying and more open grasslands may have reduced its niche; a specific cause is not established.
03 / EVIDENCE
How do scientists know about Moropus?
Bone beds, skulls and complete limbs show claw and weight-bearing mechanics; coat and social behavior remain inferred.
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