Eoconodon

Eoconodon
Temporal range: Early Paleocene (Puercan) 65.4–63.5 Ma
Eoconodon coryphaeus skull, Denver Museum of Nature and Science
Life reconstruction of Eoconodon coryphaeus
Scientific classification Edit this classification
Kingdom: Animalia
Phylum: Chordata
Class: Mammalia
Family: †Triisodontidae
Genus: †Eoconodon
Matthew & Granger, 1921
Type species
†Eoconodon coryphaeus
(Cope, 1885)
Other species
  • E. copanus
  • E. ginibitohia
  • E. heilprinianus
  • E. nidhoggi

Eoconodon is an extinct genus of triisodontid that existed during the Early Paleocene of North America. Characteristics of the genus include massive jaws, blunt builds, and strong canine teeth.

E. coryphaeus jaw

Eoconodon is considered to be a giant for mammals during the Early Paleocene, with E. coryphaeus weighing up to 47 kilograms (104 lb), although other experts suggest a smaller mass estimate of 12.6 kg (28 lb).

References

  1. ↑ Clemens, William A. (2011). "Eoconodon ("Triisodontidae," Mammalia) from the Early Paleocene (Puercan) of northeastern Montana, USA" (PDF). Palaeontologia Electronica. 14.
  2. ↑ Clemens, William A.; Williamson, Thomas E. (2005). "A new species of Eoconodon (Triisodontidae, Mammalia) from the San Juan Basin, New Mexico". Journal of Vertebrate Paleontology. 25 (1): 208–213. doi:10.1671/0272-4634(2005)025[0208:ANSOET]2.0.CO;2. S2CID 86047162.
  3. ↑ T. R. Lyson; I. M. Miller; A. D. Bercovici; K. Weissenburger; A. J. Fuentes; W. C. Clyde; J. W. Hagadorn; M. J. Butrim; K. R. Johnson; R. F. Fleming; R. S. Barclay; S. A. Maccracken; B. Lloyd; G. P. Wilson; D. W. Krause; S. G. B. Chester (October 2019). "Exceptional continental record of biotic recovery after the Cretaceous–Paleogene mass extinction". Science. 366 (6468): 977–983. doi:10.1126/science.aay2268. PMID 31649141. S2CID 204883579.
  4. ↑ Toosey, William J.; Williamson, Thomas E.; Shelley, Sarah L.; Brusatte, Stephen L. (2024-11-11). "The osteology of Triisodon crassicuspis (Cope, 1882): New insights into the enigmatic "archaic" placental mammal group "Triisodontidae"". PLOS ONE. 19 (11) e0311187. doi:10.1371/journal.pone.0311187. ISSN 1932-6203. PMC 11554371.
  5. ↑ Halliday, T. J. D.; Goswami, A. (2016). "The impact of phylogenetic dating method on interpreting trait evolution: a case study of Cretaceous–Palaeogene eutherian body-size evolution". Biology Letter. 12 (8). doi:10.1098/rsbl.2016.0051. PMC 5014015. PMID 27484642.