Palaeotheriidae

Hyracotherium

• Eurasia
• North America

The Palaeotheriidae ( Germanized also Palaeotherien ) are an extinct mammal family. They are related with the horses (Equidae ) and are with them in the subordination of Hippomorpha (horse relatives ) in the odd-toed ungulates ( Perissodactyla ) classified.

Most Palaeotheriiden were rather small animals, early representatives reached only shoulder height of 20 centimeters, while later representatives reached the size of pigs or ponies. However, at least one genus ( Palaeotherium ) even reached the size of a rhinoceros. At the front legs they had four and three toes on the hind legs, as opposed to the horses there has been no reduction in the number of toes. The molars were niederkronig and adapted to a soft plant food such as leaves. Presumably these animals lived primarily in groups, their habitat is likely to have been swampy forests in the first place.

As one of the earliest representatives shall Hyracotherium, whose systematic status is controversial, however - sometimes it is also considered as representative of the basal Hippomorpha. Later representatives included the genus found in Germany Propalaeotherium, Pachynolophus, Plagiolophus and Palaeotherium, probably similar to the tapirs had a short proboscis.

In contrast to the horses Palaeotheriidae were largely confined to Eurasia, most fossils have been found in Europe. In the Oligocene, these animals have become extinct.