Prorastomus
| Prorastomus Temporal range: Middle Eocene | |
|---|---|
 | |
| Scientific classification | |
| Kingdom: | Animalia |
| Phylum: | Chordata |
| Class: | Mammalia |
| Order: | Sirenia |
| Family: | †Prorastomidae |
| Genus: | †Prorastomus Owen, 1855 |
| Species: | †P. sirenoides |
| Binomial name | |
| Prorastomus sirenoides Owen, 1855 | |
Prorastomus sirenoides[1] is an extinct species of primitive sirenian that lived during the Eocene Epoch 40 million years ago in Jamaica.
Description
While modern sirenians are fully aquatic, the 1.5 metres (5 ft) Prorastomus was predominantly terrestrial, judging from the structure of its skull. Judging from its crown-shaped molars and the shape of its snout, it fed on soft plants.[2]
See also
References
- ↑ The generic name Prorastomus, a combination of Greek πρῷρα (prōra), prow, and στόμα (stoma), mouth, refers to the lower jaw of the animal "resembling the prow of a wherry" (Owen, 1855, p. 542).
- ↑ Palmer, D., ed. (1999). The Marshall Illustrated Encyclopedia of Dinosaurs and Prehistoric Animals. London: Marshall Editions. p. 229. ISBN 1-84028-152-9.
- Barry Cox, Colin Harrison, R. J. G. Savage, and Brian Gardiner. (1999): The Simon & Schuster Encyclopedia of Dinosaurs and Prehistoric Creatures: A Visual Who's Who of Prehistoric Life. Simon & Schuster.
- David Norman. (2001): The Big Book Of Dinosaurs. Pg. 348, Welcome Books.
- Richard Owen. (1855): On the fossil skull of a mammal (Prorastomus sirenoïdes, Owen) from the island of Jamaica. The Quarterly journal of the Geological Society of London, 11, pp. 541-543.
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