| Homacodontidae | |
|---|---|
 | |
| Hylomeryx annectens | |
Scientific classification | |
| Domain: | Eukaryota |
| Kingdom: | Animalia |
| Phylum: | Chordata |
| Class: | Mammalia |
| Order: | Artiodactyla |
| Suborder: | Tylopoda |
| Family: | †Homacodontidae Marsh, 1874 |
| Genera | |
see text | |
Homacodontidae is an extinctfamily ofbasalartiodactylmammals from the earlyEocene to lateOligocene ofNorth America,Europe, andAsia.
They were small animals, averaging about the size of a modernrabbit, had many primitive features. In life, they would have resembled a long-tailedmuntjac orchevrotain. Dichobunids had four or five toes on each foot, with each toe ending in a small hoof. They had complete sets of teeth, unlike most later artiodactyls, with their more specialist dentitions.[1] The shape of the teeth suggests they werebrowsers, feeding on small leaves, perhaps in the forest undergrowth. The shape of their bodies and limbs suggests they would have been fast-running animals, unlike most of their contemporaries.[2]
McKenna and Bell (1997) listed homacodonts as a subfamily ofDichobunidae.[3] However, subsequent authors recognize Homacodontidae as a distinct family in its own right.[4][5]
The following genera are listed below as per McKenna and Bell (1997), with few additions since:
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