Thoatherium (meaning "active swift-beast") is an extinct genus of litoptern mammals from the Early Miocene of Argentina. Fossils of the genus have been found in the Santa Cruz Formation in Argentina.[1]
| Thoatherium | |
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| 1901 T. minusculum skeletal illustration | |
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| 1913 T. minusculum illustration, by Charles R. Knight. | |
Scientific classification 
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| Domain: | Eukaryota |
| Kingdom: | Animalia |
| Phylum: | Chordata |
| Class: | Mammalia |
| Order: | †Litopterna |
| Family: | †Proterotheriidae |
| Subfamily: | †Proterotheriinae |
| Genus: | †Thoatherium Ameghino 1887 |
| Type species | |
| †Thoatherium minusculum Ameghino, 1887
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| Species | |
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| Synonyms | |
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Genus synonymy
T. minisculum
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Description
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With a length of 70 centimetres (2.3 ft), the gazelle-like Thoatherium was a small representative of the order Litopterna. Judging from its long legs, it was a fast runner. Thoatherium had remarkably reduced toes; only one horse-like hoof remained. Thoatherium even lacked splint bones, which are remnants of the second and fourth toe found in modern horses. Judging from its generalised, brachydont teeth, Thoatherium fed on soft leaves rather than on tough grasses.[2][3]
References
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- ^ Thoatherium at Fossilworks.org
- ^ Palmer, D., ed. (1999). The Marshall Illustrated Encyclopedia of Dinosaurs and Prehistoric Animals. London: Marshall Editions. p. 247. ISBN 1-84028-152-9.
- ^ Darin A. Croft, Horned Armadillos and Rafting Monkeys: The Fascinating Fossil Mammals of South America, Indiana University Press, 29/08/2016
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