Taeniodont

Skull of Stylinodon

• North America

The Taeniodonta are an extinct group of mammals that lived from the early Paleocene to middle Eocene and only from North America is known. The body size of the Taeniodonta varied from 5 kg in the earlier representatives of more than 100 kilograms with the most serious types.

The former representative as Onychodectes were characterized by a generalized body type and were probably omnivores. The canines were enlarged and the molars hochkronig. The Body suggests that they could climb well and may have had a similar lifestyle to possums.

The later representatives of which Stylinodon represents the most well-known type were larger and had a much stronger skull structure on. The upper incisors were enlarged and rootless. The canines were significantly enlarged and chisel-like designed the molars had a pointed shape. The powerful front legs wore long, flat claws. The conformation of these animals has similarities with the aardvark, the dentition, however, suggests that they primarily subsisted on roots and tubers, which they dug out of the ground.

Relations with other groups of mammals are unclear, often they are regarded as relatives of the Palaeoryctidae or Pantolestida, two extinct groups also unclear affiliation. Sometimes they are incorporated into the large group of Cimolesta, but probably is not a natural group, but only as " trash " for some non-allocable taxa used.