Fossil casts of Merycopotamus dissimilis at the Academy of Natural Sciences, Philadelphia
Scientific classification
Domain:
Eukaryota
Kingdom:
Animalia
Phylum:
Chordata
Class:
Mammalia
Order:
Artiodactyla
Family:
†Anthracotheriidae
Subfamily:
†Bothriodontinae
Genus:
†Merycopotamus Falconer & Cautley, 1847
Type species
†Merycopotamus dissimilis
Species
†M. dissimilis
†M. medioximus
†M. nanus
†M. thachangensis[1]
Merycopotamus is an extinct genus of Asian anthracothere that appeared during the Middle Miocene, and died out in the Late Pliocene. At the height of the genus' influence, species ranged throughout southern Asia.[2] With the extinction of the last species, M. dissimilis, the lineage of anthracotheres came to an end. Merycopotamus was closely related to the anthracothere genus Libycosaurus, which, unlike the former, never left Africa.[3] In fact, some African fossils originally placed in Merycopotamus, but are now referred to Libycosaurus.[2][4]
^Hanta, R.; Ratanasthien, B.; Kunimatsu, Y.; Saegusa, H.; Nakaya, H.; Nagaoka, S. & Jintasakul, S. (2008). "A New Species of Bothriodontinae, Merycopotamus thachangensis (Cetartiodactyla, Anthracotheriidae) from the Late Miocene of Nakhon Ratchasima, Northeastern Thailand". Journal of Vertebrate Paleontology. 28 (4): 1182–1188. doi:10.1671/0272-4634-28.4.1182. S2CID 130059264.
^ abLihoreau, F.; J. Barry; C. Blondel; Y. Chiamanee; J.-J. Jaeger; M. Brunet (2007). "Anatomical revision of the genus Merycopotamus (Artiodactyla; Anthracotheriidae): its significance for late Miocene mammal dispersal in Asia". Palaeontology. 50 (2): 503–524. doi:10.1111/j.1475-4983.2006.00643.x. S2CID 129663125.
^Lihoreau, Fabrice; Jean-Renaud Boisserie; et al. (2006). "Anthracothere dental anatomy reveals a late Miocene Chado-Libyan bioprovince" (PDF). Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences. 103 (originally published online May 24, 2006): 8763–7. Bibcode:2006PNAS..103.8763L. doi:10.1073/pnas.0603126103. PMC 1482652. PMID 16723392.
^Pickford, Martin (2006). "Sexual and individual morphometric variation in Libycosaurus (Mammalia, Anthracotheriidae) from the Maghreb and Libya". Geobios. 39 (2): 267–310. doi:10.1016/j.geobios.2004.06.006.
Merycopotamus is an extinct genus of Asian anthracothere that appeared during the Middle Miocene, and died out in the Late Pliocene. At the height of...
Oligocene species: from Anthracotherium and Elomeryx to the Miocene species Merycopotamus and Libycosaurus and finally the very latest anthracotheres in the Pliocene...
change and competition with their descendants, until the last genus, Merycopotamus, died out in the early Pliocene of India. There were once many species...
artiodactyls, including pigs and true hippopotamuses. The youngest genus, Merycopotamus, died out in Asia during the late Pliocene, possibly for the same reasons...
forms such as Qatraniodon into larger taxa such as Libycosaurus and Merycopotamus. Some genera the snouts became even more elongated and teeth specialized...
Bothriogenys Genus Bothriodon Genus Anthracotherium Genus Libycosaurus Genus Merycopotamus Family Camelidae (camels) Genus Aepycamelus (Miocene) Genus Camelops...
Nagaoka, S.; Jintasakul, S. (2008). "A New Species of Bothriodontinae, Merycopotamus thachangensis (Cetartiodactyla, Anthracotheriidae) from the Late Miocene...