Mouillacitherium
Mouillacitherium elegans
Resurrected on:
9 feb. 2021
Genus information
Mouillacitherium 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, Mouillacitherium would have resembled a 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
Mouillacitherium elegans is one of several species within its genus and fossils have been found in France and Switzerland, dating from the Eocene epoch. It was a medium-sized species, reaching up to 80 cm in length (without its tail) and weighted about 10 kg.
Species:
Paleontologist:
Distribution:
Epoch:
Mouillacitherium elegans
Filhol, 1882
Europe
Eocene
Length:
Height:
Weight:
80 cm
60 cm
10 kg
Reference:
Legendre, S., 1988. Les communautes de mammiferes du Paleogene (Eocene superieur et Oligocene) d'Europe occidentale: structure, milieux et evolution. Ph.D. thesis, Universite des Sciences et Techniques du Languedoc, Montpellier, France. 2 volumes.
Size comparison
Distribution map
