Herbertlutzius

Herbertlutzius eckfeldensis

Resurrected on:

7 feb. 2021

Genus information

Herbertlutzius is a genus of very primitive ungulate that lived during the Eocene epoch of Europe. It belonged to the Dichobunidae family and represented one of the earliest known ungulates. In life, Herbertlutzius would have resembled a very small duiker or chevrotain with a long tail. Each foot retained several toes with small hooves. They were probably fast-running animals due to their long limbs and slender build body. The shape of their teeth suggests they were browsers, feeding on small leaves in the undergrowth of dense forests or semi-open landscapes.

Family:

Distribution:

Epoch:

Dichobunidae

Europe

Eocene

Species information

Herbertlutzius eckfeldensis is the only species within its genus and fossils have been found in Germany, dating from the Eocene epoch. It's the smallest species of the Dichobunidae family, reaching just 10 cm in length (without its tail)!

Species:

Paleontologist:

Distribution:

Epoch:

Herbertlutzius eckfeldensis

Franzen, 1994

Europe

Eocene

Length:

Height:

Weight:

10 cm

6 cm

100 gr

Reference:

Frankenhäuser, H., Werner Löhnertz, Jens L. Franzen, Uwe Kaufluss, Martin Koziol Herbert Lutz, Dieter F. Mertz, Jens Mingram, Torsten wapplerund: Volker Wilde: Das Eckfelder Maar in der Vulkaneifel - Fenster in einen küstenfernen Lebensraum vor 44 Millionen Jahren. Mainzer Naturwissenschaftliches Archiv 47, 2009, S. 263–324