Biology:Peligrotherium
Peligrotherium is an extinct meridiolestidan mammal from the Paleocene of Patagonia, originally interpreted as a stem-ungulate (though it did co-exist with early meridiungulates). Its remains have been found in the Salamanca Formation.[1] Around the size of a dog, it was among the largest of all non-therian mammals, and the largest non-therian mammal known from South America.[2] It is a member of Mesungulatoidea, a clade of herbivorous meridiolestidans with molars that had rounded (bunodont) cusps.[3]
Description
The dental formula of Peligrotherium tropicalis was I4?/? C1/1 P3/3 M3/3. Its last premolar was fully molarised, having morphology strongly akin to a molar, as has been suggested for mesungulatoids broadly. The presence of a high cementoenamel junction with a pronounced ridge showing signs of having undergone oral abrasion suggests that the species had a tall, thick gingiva comparable to that of a hippopotamus.[4]
Diet
A biomechanical study found Peligrotherium to be a herbivore that was functionally similar to the black rhino.[5]
References
- ↑ Peligrotherium at Fossilworks.org
- ↑ Rougier, Guillermo, Martinelli, Agustin, Forasiepi, Analía M., Mesozoic Mammals from South America and their Forerunners, ISBN 978-3-030-63862-7
- ↑ Tony Harper; Ana Parras; Guillermo W. Rougier (2018). "Reigitherium (Meridiolestida, Mesungulatoidea) an enigmatic Late Cretaceous mammal from Patagonia, Argentina: morphology, affinities, and dental evolution". Journal of Mammalian Evolution. in press. doi:10.1007/s10914-018-9437-x.
- ↑ Rougier, G. W.; Paez-Arango, N.; Moore, J. P.; Biven-Leslie, Z. (29 April 2025). "Dental and mandibular morphology of Peligrotherium tropicalis (Mammalia, Meridiolestida) from the Paleocene of Patagonia, Argentina" (in en). Journal of Mammalian Evolution 32 (2). doi:10.1007/s10914-025-09758-3. ISSN 1064-7554. https://link.springer.com/article/10.1007/s10914-025-09758-3. Retrieved 16 June 2025.
- ↑ Harper, Tony; Adkins, Caleb; Rougier, Guillermo (2022). "Reconstructed masticatory biomechanics of Peligrotherium tropicalis, a non-therian mammal from the Paleocene of Argentina". Acta Palaeontologica Polonica 67. doi:10.4202/app.00912.2021. https://www.app.pan.pl/article/item/app009122021.html. Retrieved 16 June 2025.
External links
Template:Mammalia Wikidata ☰ Q922165 entry
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