Epoicotheriidae
Encyclopedia
Epoicotheriidae is an extinct family of pangolin
-like insectivore
mammal
s which were endemic to North America
from the Eocene
to the Oligocene 55.4—33.9 Ma existing for approximately ..Epoicotheriids were highly specialized animals that were convergent on golden moles in the structure of their skulls and forelimbs, and would have had a similar lifestyle as subterranean burrowers.
Pangolin
A pangolin , also scaly anteater or Trenggiling, is a mammal of the order Pholidota. There is only one extant family and one genus of pangolins, comprising eight species. There are also a number of extinct taxa. Pangolins have large keratin scales covering their skin and are the only mammals with...
-like insectivore
Insectivore
An insectivore is a type of carnivore with a diet that consists chiefly of insects and similar small creatures. An alternate term is entomophage, which also refers to the human practice of eating insects....
mammal
Mammal
Mammals are members of a class of air-breathing vertebrate animals characterised by the possession of endothermy, hair, three middle ear bones, and mammary glands functional in mothers with young...
s which were endemic to North America
North America
North America is a continent wholly within the Northern Hemisphere and almost wholly within the Western Hemisphere. It is also considered a northern subcontinent of the Americas...
from the 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...
to the Oligocene 55.4—33.9 Ma existing for approximately ..Epoicotheriids were highly specialized animals that were convergent on golden moles in the structure of their skulls and forelimbs, and would have had a similar lifestyle as subterranean burrowers.