Oreodontoides is an extinct genus

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 oreodont

Oreodont

Oreodons, sometimes called prehistoric "ruminating hogs," were a family of cud-chewing plant-eater with a short face and tusk-like canine teeth...

 of the family

Family (biology)

In biological classification, family is* a taxonomic rank. Other well-known ranks are life, domain, kingdom, phylum, class, order, genus, and species, with family fitting between order and genus. As for the other well-known ranks, there is the option of an immediately lower rank, indicated by the...

 Merycoidodontidae, subfamily Merycoidodontinae, 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...

 during the Late Oligocene-Early Miocene

Early Miocene

The Early Miocene is a sub-epoch of the Miocene Epoch made up of two stages: the Aquitanian and Burdigalian stages....

 subepochs (24.8—20.6 mya), existing for approximately .

Taxonomy

Oreodontoides was named by Thorpe (1923) (named as subgenus of Eporeodon by Thorpe in 1921) and raised to genus level. It was synonymized subjectively with Merychyus by Loomis in 1924 and assigned to Merycoidodontidae by Thorpe in 1923 and 1937, (1923), by Schultz and Falkenbach (1947) and Lander (1998).

Morphology

A single specimen was examined by M. Mendoza for body mass and was estimated to have a weight of 34.9 kg (76.9 lbs).

Fossil distribution

Fossils have been uncovered throughout the western U.S. including Wheeler

Wheeler County, Oregon

As of the census of 2000, there were 1,547 people, 653 households, and 444 families residing in the county. The population density was 1 people per square mile . There were 842 housing units at an average density of 0 per square mile...

 and Grant County, Oregon

Grant County, Oregon

Grant County is a county located in the U.S. state of Oregon. It is included in the 8 county definition of Eastern Oregon. In 2010, its population was 7,445. It is named for President Ulysses S. Grant, who served as an army officer in the Oregon Territory, and at the time of the county's creation...

, Laramie County, Wyoming

Laramie County, Wyoming

Laramie County is the most populous of the 23 counties of the U.S. state of Wyoming. The county is located in the southeastern corner of the state. The county's population was 91,738 at the 2010 census. The county seat is Cheyenne, the state capital...

, Washabaugh County, South Dakota

Washabaugh County, South Dakota

Washabaugh County is a former county in South Dakota. The county was named after Frank Washabaugh, a prominent South Dakota politician.-History:...

.

Species

Oreodontoides oregonensis (synonymous with Desmatochoerus anthyonyi, Merychyus curtus).