Andrewsarchus mongoliensis

Andrewsarchus (†Andrewsarchus mongoliensis (Osborn, 1924))

 

Order: Artiodactyla

Suborder: Cetruminantia

(unranked): Cetancodontamorpha

Temporal range: during the  Eocene (Asia) (32-60 million years ago)

Dimensions: length - 3.2 m, height - 140 сm, weight ~ 800 kg

A typical representative:  Andrewsarchus mongoliensis

 

 

Andrewsarchus mongoliensis ("bone cruncher") was the largest carnivorous land mammal that lived during the Eocene epoch between 32 to 60 million years ago. It had a long snout with large, sharp teeth and flat cheek teeth that may have been used to crush bones. Because Andrewsarchus is only known from a single enormous skull (83 cm long and 56 cm wide), whether it was an active predator or a large scavenger is open to debate, as is its exact time range. Though scientists can’t be sure, the huge skull suggests the animal may have been twice as big as a grizzly bear, making it the largest carnivorous land mammal of all time. It is belived that Andrewsarchus has eaten turtles because the only Andrewsarchus fossil to be found was in a prehistoric coastal area. But they could also have eaten giant herbivorous mammals, such as the rhino-like Brontotherium. Some scientists think Andrewsarchus is a close relative of whales, since they share a similar jaw structure.

 

 

mesonychidae, andrewsarchus, ungulates, carnivore, predator, carnivorous artiodactyls, andrewsarchus eocene, mesonychid, whales relative, omnivorous