Eoentelodon
Encyclopedia
Eoentelodon is a small, primitive entelodont
, assigned as such by Carroll (1998), from the Middle Eocene
of China
. It was a very small entelodont, about the size of a modern pig
, and was slightly smaller than its North American counterpart, Brachyhyops
.
Eoentelodon was synonymized subjectively with Brachyhyops by Lucas and Emry (2004). However, in 2007, I. Vislobokova determined that Eoentelodon was not only distinct from Brachyhyops, but more closely related to Proentelodon, another primitive entelodont found in slightly older Middle Eocene strata of Mongolia
.
Entelodont
Entelodonts, sometimes nicknamed hell pigs or terminator pigs, is an extinct family of pig-like omnivores endemic to forests and plains of North America, Europe, and Asia from the middle Eocene to early Miocene epochs , existing for approximately .-Taxonomy:Entelodontidae was named by Richard...
, assigned as such by Carroll (1998), from the Middle Eocene
Eocene
The Eocene Epoch, lasting from about 56 to 34 million years ago , is a major division of the geologic timescale and the second epoch of the Paleogene Period in the Cenozoic Era. The Eocene spans the time from the end of the Palaeocene Epoch to the beginning of the Oligocene Epoch. The start of the...
of China
China
Chinese civilization may refer to:* China for more general discussion of the country.* Chinese culture* Greater China, the transnational community of ethnic Chinese.* History of China* Sinosphere, the area historically affected by Chinese culture...
. It was a very small entelodont, about the size of a modern pig
Pig
A pig is any of the animals in the genus Sus, within the Suidae family of even-toed ungulates. Pigs include the domestic pig, its ancestor the wild boar, and several other wild relatives...
, and was slightly smaller than its North American counterpart, Brachyhyops
Brachyhyops
Brachyhyops is an extinct genus of the family Entelodontidae, endemic to North America and western Asia during the Eocene epoch , existing for approximately .-Taxonomy:...
.
Eoentelodon was synonymized subjectively with Brachyhyops by Lucas and Emry (2004). However, in 2007, I. Vislobokova determined that Eoentelodon was not only distinct from Brachyhyops, but more closely related to Proentelodon, another primitive entelodont found in slightly older Middle Eocene strata of Mongolia
Mongolia
Mongolia is a landlocked country in East and Central Asia. It is bordered by Russia to the north and China to the south, east and west. Although Mongolia does not share a border with Kazakhstan, its western-most point is only from Kazakhstan's eastern tip. Ulan Bator, the capital and largest...
.