Chalicotherium
Group Placental mammals
Date Late Oligocene to Early Pliiocene
Size 2m long
Location Europe, Asia, Africa
Chalicotherium was a perissodactyl (odd-toed, hoofed mammal) that lived between the Late Oligocene and the Early Pliiocene in Europe, Asia, and Africa. It looked a little like a large horse, except that it had claws on its toes rather than hooves. The purpose of these claws on a hoofed mammals was a puzzle for some time, but it is now thought that they were used to hook branches and pull them. In addition, Chalicotherium’s front limb were far longer than its back legs, and it had features on the hands and pelvic bones that suggested it knuckle-walked, much like a gorilla does today. When it was not on the move, Chalicotherium sat for long periods of time on its haunches feeding on vegetation. The relationships of chalicotheres have been a mystery for many years. Recent evidence has shown that they are cousins of the tapirs, but when the claws of Chalicotherium were first discovered they were thought to be a type of carnivore.
ChalicotheriumGroup Placental mammalsDate Late Oligocene to Early PliioceneSize 2m longLocation Europe, Asia, AfricaChalicotherium was a perissodactyl (odd-toed, hoofed mammal) that lived between the Late Oligocene and the Early Pliiocene in Europe, Asia, and Africa. It looked a little like a large horse, except that it had claws on its toes rather than hooves. The purpose of these claws on a hoofed mammals was a puzzle for some time, but it is now thought that they were used to hook branches and pull them. In addition, Chalicotherium’s front limb were far longer than its back legs, and it had features on the hands and pelvic bones that suggested it knuckle-walked, much like a gorilla does today. When it was not on the move, Chalicotherium sat for long periods of time on its haunches feeding on vegetation. The relationships of chalicotheres have been a mystery for many years. Recent evidence has shown that they are cousins of the tapirs, but when the claws of Chalicotherium were first discovered they were thought to be a type of carnivore.
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