Entelodontidae

Entelodontidae
Temporal range: 37.2–15.97 Ma Late Eocene - Middle Miocene
Complete skeleton of Daeodon
Scientific classification Edit this classification
Domain: Eukaryota
Kingdom: Animalia
Phylum: Chordata
Class: Mammalia
Order: Artiodactyla
Clade: Cetancodontamorpha
Family: †Entelodontidae
Lydekker, 1883
Type genus
†Entelodon
Genera

See text.

Synonyms
  • Elotheridae Alston, 1878

Entelodontidae is an extinct family of pig-like artiodactyls (even-toed ungulates) which inhabited the Northern Hemisphere (Asia, Europe, and North America) from the late Eocene[1] to the early Miocene epochs, about 38-19 million years ago. Their large heads, low snouts, narrow gait, and proposed omnivorous diet inspires comparisons to suids (true pigs) and tayassuids (peccaries), and historically they have been considered closely related to these families purely on a morphological basis.[2][3][4] However, studies which combine morphological and molecular (genetic) data on artiodactyls instead suggest that entelodonts are cetancodontamorphs, more closely related to hippos and cetaceans through their resemblance to Pakicetus, than to basal pigs like Kubanochoerus and other ungulates.[5][6]

  1. ^ Vislobokova, I. A. (2008-10-01). "The oldest representative of Entelodontoidea (Artiodactyla, Suiformes) from the Middle Eocene of Khaichin Ula II, Mongolia, and some evolutionary features of this superfamily". Paleontological Journal. 42 (6): 643–654. doi:10.1134/S0031030108060105. ISSN 1555-6174. S2CID 83856459.
  2. ^ Cite error: The named reference :3 was invoked but never defined (see the help page).
  3. ^ Foss, Scott E. (2001). Systematics and Paleobiology of the Entelodontidae (Mammalia, Artiodactyla). DeKalb, Illinois: Ph.D Dissertation. Department of Biological Sciences, Northern Illinois University. ProQuest 304715809.
  4. ^ Foss, Scott E. (2007). "Family Entelodontidae". In Prothero, Donald R.; Foss, Scott E. (eds.). The Evolution of Artiodactyls. Baltimore: Johns Hopkins University Press. pp. 120–129. ISBN 9780801887352.
  5. ^ O'Leary, Maureen A.; Gatesy, John (2008). "Impact of increased character sampling on the phylogeny of Cetartiodactyla (Mammalia): combined analysis including fossils". Cladistics. 24 (4): 397–442. doi:10.1111/j.1096-0031.2007.00187.x. ISSN 1096-0031. S2CID 85141801.
  6. ^ Spaulding, Michelle; O'Leary, Maureen A.; Gatesy, John (2009). "Relationships of Cetacea (Artiodactyla) among mammals: increased taxon sampling alters interpretations of key fossils and character evolution". PLOS ONE. 4 (9): e7062. Bibcode:2009PLoSO...4.7062S. doi:10.1371/journal.pone.0007062. PMC 2740860. PMID 19774069.