Astrapotherium magnum (Burmeister 1879, Hatcher 1901; Paleocene-Miocene, 59-12 mya; 3m long) was considered a South American ungulate and a member of the order, Astrapotheria, by the authors of Wikipedia. They reported, "The history of this order is enigmatic." Here
Astrapotherium nests
between Anthracobune + Cambaytherium and elephants.
Like an elephant,
the large and ever-growing curved incisors of Astrapotherium scraped against the lower canines during life producing sharp tips. The rostrum was much shorter than the mandibles as in shovel-tusker elephants. The fingers and toes were small and elevated by pads, as in elephants. The narial opening was elevated to the top of the skull to facilitate a trunk. |
