Megalohyrax Explained

Megalohyrax is an extinct hyrax-grouped genus of herbivorous mammal that lived during the Oligocene, about 33-30 million years ago. Its fossils have been found in Africa and in Asia Minor.^[1]

Description

This animal was very different from the current hyraxes and much larger, generally reaching the size of a tapir^{[2] [3]} and sometimes exceeding in length. The legs were strong and the body very massive. The skull was long and low, unlike that of today's hyraxes, and could reach in length.^[4] Length of upper premolars and molars is and, respectively.^[5] The dental formula of Megalohyrax was composed of three incisors, one canine, four premolars and three molars. It likely had an eustachian sac, a pouch-like structure found in some mammals that is connected to the eustachian tube.^[4]

Classification and habitats

It was first described by Andrews in 1903. The type species is Megalohyrax eocaenus, was found in the El Fayum area in Egypt. Other fossils attributed to this kind have been found in Saudi Arabia and Ethiopia.

See also

• Titanohyrax
• Gigantohyrax
• Largest prehistoric animals

References

• Andrews, CW 1903. "Notes on an expedition to the Fayum, Egypt, with descriptions of some new mammals". Geological Magazine 4: 337–343.
• CW Andrews. 1906. A Descriptive Catalogue of the Tertiary Vertebrata of Fayum, Egypt 1–324
• J. Sudre. 1979. "Nouveaux MAMMIFERES eocenes du Sahara occidental". Palaeovertebrata 9 (3): 83–115
• DT Rasmussen and EL Simons. 1988. "New Oligocene hyracoids from Egypt". Journal of Vertebrate Paleontology 8 (1): 67–83
• JGM Thewissen, Simons EL (2001) "Skull of Megalohyrax eocaenus (Hyracoidea, Mammalia) from the Oligocene of Egypt". Journal of Vertebrate Paleontology 21: 98–106.
• J. Kappelman, DT Rasmussen, WJ Sanders, M. Feseha, T. Bown, P. Copeland, J. Crabaugh, J. Fleagle, M. Glantz, A. Gordon, B. Jacobs, M. Maga, K. Muldoon, A. Pan, L. Pyne, B. Richmond, T. Ryan, ER Seiffert, S. Sen, L. Todd, MC Wiemann and A. Winkler. 2003. "Oligocene mammals from Ethiopia and faunal exchange between Afro-Arabia and Eurasia". Nature 426: 549–552

Notes and References

1. Web site: Fossilworks: Megalohyrax. 17 December 2021. fossilworks.org.
2. Book: 978-0-19-506039-3. The Evolution of Perissodactyls. Oxford University Press. 1989. 20 September 2022. 65. Donald R. Prothero . Robert M. Schoch .
3. Book: 978-0-8018-8472-6. The Beginning of the Age of Mammals. Johns Hopkins University Press. September 26, 2006. 20 September 2022. 260. Kenneth D. Rose.
4. J. G. M. Thewissen . E. L. Simons . Skull of Megalohyrax eocaenus (Hyracoidea, Mammalia) from the Oligocene of Egypt . 10.1671/0272-4634(2001)021[0098:SOMEHM]2.0.CO;2 . Journal of Vertebrate Paleontology . 98–106 . 2001 . 21 . 1 . 4524175 . 86063305 .
5. Book: Proceedings of the General Meetings for Scientific Business of the Zoological Society of London. Zoological Society of London. 1921. 20 September 2022. 840.