“V” is for Viverravus

“V” is for Viverravus

Another carnivore, Viverravus is rare in Paleocene faunas. We can tell it’s a carnivore due to the shape of its molars. Specifically, the first lower molar and the fourth upper premolar come together in a scissor-like configuration called the carnassial pair.

Viverravus has the blade-like lower molar characteristic of carnivores.

Viverravus is not known from The Breaks, but a related carnivore called Protictis is. I spent some time at the American Museum of Natural History studying specimens of Protictis and drawing sketches. Here’s one:

Carnivores are rare in any fossil collection. The fauna from The Breaks is no different with only four teeth out of 800 identified that are known to belong to carnivores.

Part of the Blogging from A to Z challenge.

For 4-25-13