| Xiphodontidae | |
|---|---|
 | |
| Drawing ofXiphodon byGeorges Cuvier | |
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| Life restoration ofXiphodon | |
Scientific classification | |
| Domain: | Eukaryota |
| Kingdom: | Animalia |
| Phylum: | Chordata |
| Class: | Mammalia |
| Order: | Artiodactyla |
| Family: | †Xiphodontidae Flower, 1883 |
| Genera | |
Xiphodontidae is an extinctfamily ofherbivorouseven-toed ungulates (orderArtiodactyla), endemic toEurope during theEocene 40.4—33.9 million years ago, existing for about 7.5 million years.[1]Paraxiphodon suggests that they survived into the Lower Oligocene, at least.[2]
The molar teeth of xiphodontids arebrachydont (low crowned) andselenodont.[3]
The Xiphodontidae were named by Flower (1883). It was assigned to Artiodactyla by Cope (1889); toXiphodontoidea by Hooker (1986); and toTylopoda by Carroll (1988).[4][5] A 2020 study suggested them to be related toruminants, as well as other Europe-endemic artiodactyls likeCainotheriidae andAnoplotheriidae.[6]