Category Archives: Research

Y is for Yerbua

Yerbua is a genus of hopping rodent. The name “Yerbua” was coined in 1778, but has since been replaced with “Pedetes.” I have this name written down as a Uintan mammal, but Pedetes is a modern taxon from Africa, so I’m not sure what happened. But here you go:

X is for Xylotitan

Xylotitan is a new species of brotothere, a hoofed mammal related to horses and rhinos. Brototheres were giant mammals, considered the earliest of the ‘megaherbivores.’

Among brototheres, Xylotitan is among the smallest, only about the size of a large tapir.

This new species was named in 2016 by Mihlbachler and Samuels.

W is for Washakius

Washakius is a primate known only from the Eocene of the United States.

V is for Viverravus

Viverravus is a carnivorous mammal. Interestingly, I have written up Viverravus in an earlier A to Z Challenge about Paleocene mammals, here. Viverravus as a genus lasted many millions of years.

Here is an early Eocene Viverravus from the Yale-Peabody Museum:

U is for Uintatherium

Uintatherium was a massive hoofed mammal that lived during the Eocene epoch. Superficially, they were rather rhinoceros-like, though they were not related.

Notably, Uintatheres had many horns and protuberances on their skulls, in addition to robust tusks.

T is for Tapocyon

Tapocyon is a genus of miacid carnivores that lived during the Paleocene and Eocene epochs of North America. It was a climbing mammal that likely spent a great amount of time in trees.

S is for Smilodectes

Smilodectes is an extinct primate that lived in North America during the Eocene.

R is for Reithroparamys

Reithroparamys is another extinct rodent from North America. Species of this genus ranged from the late Paleocene into the mid-Eocene. Four species are known from this genus.

Q is for Quadratomus

Quadratomus is an Eocene rodent. There are four species within this genus all of which lived in North America.