Merycopotamus

Fossil skull of Merycopotamus petrocchii at the Natural History Museum of Florence.

• Asia (Iraq, Pakistan, India, Thailand)
• North Africa (Tunisia, Libya)

Merycopotamus is a genus of extinct mammals from the group of Anthracotheriidae. Merycopotamus lived from the late Miocene to early Pliocene.

Features

Merycopotamus was a medium-sized Anthracotheriide. The genus is the modern hippos so similar, the fossils were originally described from the Pliocene of Pakistan as a hippopotamus. Similar to the hippos, the very deep lower jaw at the angle of the jaw on a striking edge. The upper and lower canines and the outside lower incisors are enlarged in the males more than the females.

System

The Anthracotheriidae are probably the original group of hippos. Merycopotamus belonged to the subfamily of Bothriodontinae, which includes the most advanced Anthracotheriiden. Maybe Merycopotamus be expected already to the Hippopotamidae.

Species

So far, four species have been described:

• Merycopotamus anisae
• Merycopotamus nanus
• Merycopotamus medioximus
• Merycopotamus dissimilis ( type species )