Pantolambda

Pantolambda (Pantolambda Cope, 1882)

Order: Pantodonta

Family: Pantolambdidae

Expansion: Paleocene in Asia and North America

Dimensions: 1,2 m in length, 55 cm in height,45 kg of weight

A typical representative: Pantolambda bathmodon Cope, 1882

Pantolambda was a relatively large pantodont the size of an ewe (a female sheep). This oldest representative of the group dwelt in Asia and North America in the mid Paleocene. Pantolambda and Cimolestes descended from and connected with the early ungulates. This animal also had different short and powerful limbs; its foot and hand were generally primitive, with five divergent fingers, which ended in small hooves. Perhaps its diet was varied and not very specialized. The menu consisted of shoots and leaves, mushrooms and fruits, which could be supplemented with insects, worms, or carrion.