Merychyus is an extinct genus of oreodont of the family Merycoidodontidae, endemic to North America. It lived during the Miocene, 20.4—10.3 mya, existing for approximately 10 million years.[1] Fossils are widespread through the central and western United States.

Merychyus
Temporal range: Miocene (Arikareean-Clarendonian)
~20.4–10.3 Ma
M. elegans fossil, Royal Ontario Museum
Scientific classification Edit this classification
Domain: Eukaryota
Kingdom: Animalia
Phylum: Chordata
Class: Mammalia
Order: Artiodactyla
Family: Merycoidodontidae
Genus: Merychyus
Leidy 1858
Type species
Merychyus elegans
Leidy 1858
Species
  • M. arenarum Cope, 1884
  • M. calaminthus Jahns, 1940
  • M. elegans Leidy, 1858 (type)
  • M. minimus Peterson, 1907
  • M. relictus Matthew & Cook, 1909
  • M. verrucomalus Stevens, 1970
Synonyms
  • Metoreodon Matthew & Cook, 1909

Merychyus was a herbivore with a short face, tusk-like canine teeth, heavy body, long tail, short feet, and four-toed hooves.[citation needed]

Paleoecology

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Fossils of Merychyus have been uncovered from Agate Fossil Beds National Monument.[2] Merychyus was a common prey item for the beardog Daphoenodon, as over half of all herbivore remains uncovered from Daphoenodon burrows at Agate Fossil Beds belonged to Merychyus.[3]

Fossil distribution

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Fossils of the genus have been found in:[1]

Arikareean
Harrisonian
Other Miocene

References

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  1. ^ a b Merychyus at Fossilworks.org
  2. ^ Hunt Jr, R.M., 1990. Nebraska and Wyoming; A paleobiota entombed in fine-grained volcaniclastic rocks. Volcanism and Fossil Biotas, 244, p.69.
  3. ^ Hunt Jr, R.M., Skolnick, R. and Kaufman, J., 2019. The Carnivores of Agate Fossil Beds National Monument. Lulu. com.

Bibliography

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  • J. Leidy. 1858. Notice of Remains of Extinct Vertebrata, from the Valley of the Niobrara River, Collected during the Exploring Expedition of 1857, in Nebraska, under the Command of Lieut. G. K. Warren, U. S. Top. Eng., by Dr. F. V. Hayden, Geologist to the Expedition. Proceedings of the Academy of Natural Sciences of Philadelphia 10:15-89

Hunt Jr, R.M., 1990. Nebraska and Wyoming; A paleobiota entombed in fine-grained volcaniclastic rocks. Volcanism and Fossil Biotas, 244, p.69. Hunt Jr, R.M., Skolnick, R. and Kaufman, J., 2019. The Carnivores of Agate Fossil Beds National Monument. Lulu. com.