National Museum of Natural Science

Order Artiodactyla, Family Merycoidodontidae

Miocene (20 million years before present)

South Dakota, USA

Herbivore

Artiodactyls were common herbivorous ungulates during the Oligocene epoch, active in grassland environments of North America. They were similar in size to sheep but had an elongated skull and a longer body. Evolutionarily, they are closely related to camels. They had 44 teeth. The upper canines were specialized and were like chisels, generally protruding, while the lower canines were incisorized (meaning that the shape and function of the lower canines were similar to the incisors). The cheek teeth were strong and crescent-shaped with high crowns which made grinding and chewing food easier.

Merycoidodon culbertsoni