Rytiodus
| Rytiodus Temporal range: Miocene
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Fossil
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| Genus: | Rytiodus
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| Species: | R. capgrandi
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| Rytiodus capgrandi Lartet, 1866
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Rytiodus capgrandi is an extinct genus of sirenian whose fossils have been discovered in Europe.
With a length of 6 m (20 ft), Rytiodus was about twice the size as modern sirenians, surpassed only by the Steller's sea cow, which was up to 8 m (27 ft) long. Like its closest modern relatives, the dugongs, Rytiodus had a pair flippers, a streamlined body and a tail fin. Its flattened snout allowed it to feed in shallow coastal waters. Unlike modern sirenians, Rytiodus had short tusks which it may have used to extract food from the sand.
References
- Barry Cox, Colin Harrison, R.J.G. Savage, and Brian Gardiner. (1999): The Simon & Schuster Encyclopedia of Dinosaurs and Prehistoric Creatures: A Visual Who's Who of Prehistoric Life. , Simon & Schuster.
- David Norman. (2001): The Big Book Of Dinosaurs. Pg.347-348, Welcome Books.
- World Encyclopedia of Dinosaurs & Prehistoric Creatures: The Ultimate Visual Reference To 1000 Dinosaurs And Prehistoric Creatures Of Land, Air And Sea ... And Cretaceous Eras (World Encyclopedia) by Dougal Dixon
See also
 | This prehistoric mammal-related article is a stub. You can help Wikipedia by expanding it. |
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