Platygonus: Difference between revisions
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* ''P. bicalcaratus'' |
* ''P. bicalcaratus'' |
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* ''P. brachirostris'' |
* ''P. brachirostris'' |
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* ''P. compressus'' ([[type species|type]]) |
* ''P. compressus'' [[Pleistocene]] ([[type species|type]]) |
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* ''P. intermedius'' |
* ''P. intermedius'' |
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* ''P. oregonensis'' |
* ''P. oregonensis'' |
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Revision as of 11:58, 22 August 2013
| Platygonus | |
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| Platygonus compressus reconstruction at Harvard University | |
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| Genus: | Platygonus Le Conte, 1848
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Platygonus ("flat head" in reference to the straight shape of the forehead)[2] is an extinct genus of herbivorous peccaries of the family Tayassuidae, endemic to North America from the Miocene through Pleistocene epochs (10.3 million to 11,000 years ago), existing for about 10.289 million years.[1]
Platygonus was a gregarious animal and, like modern peccaries, possibly traveled in herds. It ranged from southern Canada to Mexico and from California to Pennsylvania. Stratigraphically, it occurs throughout the Pleistocene (Calabrian), and as early as the Blancan in the Gelasian of the Pliocene. The most recent credible date obtained for its remains is about 11,000 BP.[3]
Taxonomy
Platygonus was named by Leconte (1848). It was assigned to Tayassuidae by Le Conte (1848), Hoare et al. (1964) and Carroll (1988).
Morphology
Platygonus was larger than modern peccaries, at around 1 m (3.3 ft) in body length, and had long legs, allowing it to run well. It also had a pig-like snout and long, carnivore-like tusks which were probably used to fend off predators.[4] It had a complex digestive system, similar to that of a modern ruminant.
Body mass
Four specimens were examined by M. Mendoza for body mass, with the following estimations on weight:[5]
- Specimen 1: 133.1 kg (290 lb)
- Specimen 2: 162 kg (360 lb)
- Specimen 3: 131 kg (290 lb)
- Specimen 4: 116.6 kg (260 lb)
Notes
- ^ a b Platygonus in the Paleobiology Database. Retrieved July 2013.
- ^ "Peccary". Idaho Museum of Natural History. November 2002. Retrieved July 2013.
{{cite web}}: Check date values in:|accessdate=(help) - ^ Fiedal 2009, p. 21
- ^ Palmer 1999, p. 269
- ^ Mendoza, Janis & Palmqvist 2006 [failed verification]
References
- Fiedal, Stuart (2009). "Sudden Deaths: The Chronology of Terminal Pleistocene Megafaunal Extinction". In Haynes, Gary (ed.). American Megafaunal Extinctions at the End of the Pleistocene. Springer. pp. 21–37. doi:10.1007/978-1-4020-8793-6_2. ISBN 978-1-4020-8792-9.
{{cite book}}: Invalid|ref=harv(help) - Mendoza, M.; Janis, C. M.; Palmqvist, P. (2006). "Estimating the body mass of extinct ungulates: a study on the use of multiple regression" (PDF). Journal of Zoology. 270 (1): 90–101. Retrieved July 2013.
{{cite journal}}: Check date values in:|accessdate=(help); Invalid|ref=harv(help) - Palmer, D., ed. (1999). The Marshall Illustrated Encyclopedia of Dinosaurs and Prehistoric Animals. London: Marshall Editions. ISBN 1-84028-152-9.
{{cite book}}: Invalid|ref=harv(help)
