| Perchoerus | |
|---|---|
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| Fossils in Berlin | |
Scientific classification | |
| Kingdom: | Animalia |
| Phylum: | Chordata |
| Class: | Mammalia |
| Order: | Artiodactyla |
| Family: | Tayassuidae |
| Genus: | †Perchoerus Leidy, 1869 |
| Species | |
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| Synonyms[1] | |
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Perchoerus is an extinct genus ofsuine from theEocene andOligocene of North America. Three species are known.[1][2] While often considered to be apeccary, other studies have recovered it to be a basal suine outside of either peccaries orSuidae.[3]
The oldest known species ofPerchoerus isP. minor, which was only the size of a housecat. It is known from skull and tooth material.The laterP. nanus of theOrellan grew larger and is known from a skull and lower jaw. The latest and largest species wasP. probus of the Oligocene (32-30 mya). It was much larger (about as big as living peccaries) and known from more remains than the other species.[1][4] The molars ofPerchoerus are quadrituberculate and lack any of the accessory cuspules present in modern peccaries. The feet bore 4 functional digits and had free metacarpals. The bones in the forearm were separate.[5]
Lowδ13C values from the teeth ofP. probus suggest that it was an inhabitant of denseriparian habitats.[6]
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