Kubanochoerus
Encyclopedia
Kubanochoerus was a genus of large, long-legged pigs
from the Miocene
of Eurasia
.
The species K. massai was originally thought to be an Africa
n species belonging to this genus, as the first specimen shared the genus' distinctive eyebrow horns. Its lack of a forehead horn lead experts to interpret the skull as belonging to a female. However, recently, K. massai has been split off into its own genus, Libyochoerus (commemorating the fact that it was originally found in Libya
.) Some species of the genus Megalochoerus have been also reassigned to Libyochoerus, though, many experts do not agree with this.
Suidae
Suidae is the biological family to which pigs belong. In addition to numerous fossil species, up to sixteen extant species are currently recognized, classified into between four and eight genera...
from the Miocene
Miocene
The Miocene is a geological epoch of the Neogene Period and extends from about . The Miocene was named by Sir Charles Lyell. Its name comes from the Greek words and and means "less recent" because it has 18% fewer modern sea invertebrates than the Pliocene. The Miocene follows the Oligocene...
of Eurasia
Eurasia
Eurasia is a continent or supercontinent comprising the traditional continents of Europe and Asia ; covering about 52,990,000 km2 or about 10.6% of the Earth's surface located primarily in the eastern and northern hemispheres...
.
Description
The largest species, the aptly named K. gigas, grew to be up 1.2 metres (3.9 ft) at the shoulder, and probably weighed up to 500 kilograms (1,102.3 lb) in life. The heads of these pigs were unmistakable, with small eyebrow horns, and a large horn emanating from the forehead of the males. It is speculated that the males used their forehead horns for jousting with each other.The species K. massai was originally thought to be an Africa
Africa
Africa is the world's second largest and second most populous continent, after Asia. At about 30.2 million km² including adjacent islands, it covers 6% of the Earth's total surface area and 20.4% of the total land area...
n species belonging to this genus, as the first specimen shared the genus' distinctive eyebrow horns. Its lack of a forehead horn lead experts to interpret the skull as belonging to a female. However, recently, K. massai has been split off into its own genus, Libyochoerus (commemorating the fact that it was originally found in Libya
Libya
Libya is an African country in the Maghreb region of North Africa bordered by the Mediterranean Sea to the north, Egypt to the east, Sudan to the southeast, Chad and Niger to the south, and Algeria and Tunisia to the west....
.) Some species of the genus Megalochoerus have been also reassigned to Libyochoerus, though, many experts do not agree with this.