Litopterna

Litopterna
Temporal range: Paleocene–Holocene
Skeleton of Macrauchenia (Macraucheniidae)
Skeleton of Diadiaphorus (Proterotheriidae)
Scientific classification Edit this classification
Domain: Eukaryota
Kingdom: Animalia
Phylum: Chordata
Class: Mammalia
Clade: Panperissodactyla
Order: Litopterna
Ameghino 1889
Subgroups

Litopterna (from Ancient Greek: λῑτή πτέρνα "smooth heel") is an extinct order of South American native ungulates that lived from the Paleocene to the end of the Pleistocene-early Holocene around 62.5 million-12,000 years ago, and were also present in Antarctica during the Eocene. They represent the second most diverse group of South American ungulates after Notoungulata.[1] It is divided into nine families, with Proterotheriidae and Macraucheniidae being the most diverse and last surviving families.[2]

  1. ^ Croft, Darin A.; Gelfo, Javier N.; López, Guillermo M. (2020-05-30). "Splendid Innovation: The Extinct South American Native Ungulates". Annual Review of Earth and Planetary Sciences. 48 (1): 259–290. Bibcode:2020AREPS..48..259C. doi:10.1146/annurev-earth-072619-060126. ISSN 0084-6597. S2CID 213737574.
  2. ^ Carrillo, Juan D.; Suarez, Catalina; Benites-Palomino, Aldo Marcelo; Vanegas, Andrés; Link, Andrés; Rincón, Aldo F.; Luque, Javier; Cooke, Siobhán B.; Tallman, Melissa; Billet, Guillaume (2023-08-31). "New remains of Neotropical bunodont litopterns and the systematics of Megadolodinae (Mammalia: Litopterna)". Geodiversitas. 45 (15). doi:10.5252/geodiversitas2023v45a15. ISSN 1280-9659. S2CID 261638835.