Griphotherion
Encyclopedia
Griphotherion is an extinct genus
of notoungulate mammal from the Eocene
of Argentina. A fossil skeleton was found in the Lumbrera Formation and described in 2011 as the holotype
of the type species
G. peiranoi. Griphotherion is a small "rodent-like" notoungulate similar to members of the families Archaeohyracidae
, Hegetotheriidae
, and Mesotheriidae
. It has many unique features that are not seen in other notoungulates, and has therefore not been placed in any notoungulate family.
Genus
In biology, a genus is a low-level taxonomic rank used in the biological classification of living and fossil organisms, which is an example of definition by genus and differentia...
of notoungulate mammal 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...
of Argentina. A fossil skeleton was found in the Lumbrera Formation and described in 2011 as the holotype
Holotype
A holotype is a single physical example of an organism, known to have been used when the species was formally described. It is either the single such physical example or one of several such, but explicitly designated as the holotype...
of the type species
Type species
In biological nomenclature, a type species is both a concept and a practical system which is used in the classification and nomenclature of animals and plants. The value of a "type species" lies in the fact that it makes clear what is meant by a particular genus name. A type species is the species...
G. peiranoi. Griphotherion is a small "rodent-like" notoungulate similar to members of the families Archaeohyracidae
Archaeohyracidae
Archaeohyracidae is an extinct family comprising four genera of notoungulate mammals known from the Paleocene through the Oligocene of South America....
, Hegetotheriidae
Hegetotheriidae
Hegetotheriidae is an extinct family of notoungulate mammals known from the Eocene through the Pleistocene of South America...
, and Mesotheriidae
Mesotheriidae
Mesotheriidae is an extinct family of notoungulate mammals known from the Eocene through the Pleistocene of South America. Mesotheriids were small to medium-sized herbivorous mammals adapted for digging.-Characteristics:...
. It has many unique features that are not seen in other notoungulates, and has therefore not been placed in any notoungulate family.