Vanderhoofius is an extinct genus of herbivorous marine

Marine (ocean)

Marine is an umbrella term. As an adjective it is usually applicable to things relating to the sea or ocean, such as marine biology, marine ecology and marine geology...

 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...

 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...

 Desmostylidae

Desmostylidae

Desmostylidae is an extinct family of herbivorous marine mammal belonging to the order of Desmostylia living along the coast of the Pacific Ocean from the Rupelian stage of the Early Oligocene through the Chattian stage of the Late Oligocene existing for approximately .Desmostylidae are...

living from the Middle Miocene

Middle Miocene

The Middle Miocene is a sub-epoch of the Miocene Epoch made up of two stages: the Langhian and Serravallian stages. The Middle Miocene is preceded by the Early Miocene....

 subepoch (15.9 mya—11.6 Mya) and in existence for approximately .

Morphology

Vanderhoofius was a large, hippopotamus

Hippopotamus

The hippopotamus , or hippo, from the ancient Greek for "river horse" , is a large, mostly herbivorous mammal in sub-Saharan Africa, and one of only two extant species in the family Hippopotamidae After the elephant and rhinoceros, the hippopotamus is the third largest land mammal and the heaviest...

-like creature. It had a short tail and powerful legs with four hooves

Claw

A claw is a curved, pointed appendage, found at the end of a toe or finger in most mammals, birds, and some reptiles. However, the word "claw" is also often used in reference to an invertebrate. Somewhat similar fine hooked structures are found in arthropods such as beetles and spiders, at the end...

. Both the creature's jaws were elongated and sported forward-facing tusks, which were elongated canines

Canine tooth

In mammalian oral anatomy, the canine teeth, also called cuspids, dogteeth, fangs, or eye teeth, are relatively long, pointed teeth...

 and incisor

Incisor

Incisors are the first kind of tooth in heterodont mammals. They are located in the premaxilla above and mandible below.-Function:...

s.

Sister genera

Behemotops

Behemotops

Behemotops is an extinct genus of herbivorous marine mammal of the family Desmostylidae living from the Rupelian stage of the Early Oligocene subepoch through the Late Oligocene subepoch and in existence for approximately ....

, Cornwallius

Cornwallius

Cornwallius is an extinct herbivorous marine mammal of the family Desmostylidae. Cornwallius lived along the North American Pacific Coast from the Chattian stage of the Early Oligocene through the Oligocene and existing for approximately .-Fossil dfistribution:Like Desmostylus, fossils have been...

, Desmostylus

Desmostylus

Desmostylus is a monotypic extinct genus of herbivorous mammal of the family Desmostylidae living from the Chattian stage of the Late Oligocene subepoch through the Late Miocene subepoch and in existence for approximately ....

, Kronokotherium

Kronokotherium

Kronokotherium is an extinct herbivorous marine mammal of the genus Desmostylia of the family Desmostylidae. Kronokotherium lived along the North American Pacific Coast from the Chattian stage of the Late Oligocene through the Aquitanian stage of the Early Miocene and existing for approximately...

, Paleoparadoxia

Paleoparadoxia

Paleoparadoxia is a genus of large, herbivorous marine mammals that inhabited the northern Pacific coastal region during the Miocene epoch . It ranged from the waters of Japan , to Alaska to the north, and down to Baja California, Mexico...

,