Brachycrus

Brachycrus; Temporal range: Middle Miocene PreꞒ Ꞓ O S D C P T J K Pg N ↓
	Brachycrus laticeps
Scientific classification
Domain:	Eukaryota
Kingdom:	Animalia
Phylum:	Chordata
Class:	Mammalia
Order:	Artiodactyla
Family:	†Merycoidodontidae
Subfamily:	†Merycochoerinae
Genus:	†Brachycrus; Matthew, 1901
Type species
	†Merycochoerus rusticus;
Species
	B. buwaldi; B. laticeps; B. rusticus; B. siouense; B. sweetwaterensis; B. vaughani;
Synonyms
	Pronomotherium Douglass, 1907;

Brachycrus is an extinct genus of oreodont, of the family Merycoidodontidae, endemic to North America. They lived during the Middle Miocene, 16.0—13.6 mya, existing for approximately 2.4 million years.^[1]

Description

Life restoration of *Brachycrus laticeps*

The 1 metre (3.3 ft) long creature resembled its bigger, earlier relative Merycoidodon, but was more specialized. Brachycrus had jaws which were short, and because the nostrils were placed far to the back, the creature is presumed to have had a tapir-like proboscis.^[2]

Palaeoecology

Dental mesowear shows that B. laticeps had a browsing diet during the late Hemingfordian, but that its diet shifted towards a more mixed feeding diet during the early Barstovian.^[3]

References

^ Brachycrus at fossilworks
^ Palmer, D., ed. (1999). The Marshall Illustrated Encyclopedia of Dinosaurs and Prehistoric Animals. London: Marshall Editions. p. 271. ISBN 1-84028-152-9.
^ Mihlbachler, Matthew C.; Solounias, Nikos (18 March 2006). "Coevolution of Tooth Crown Height and Diet in Oreodonts (Merycoidodontidae, Artiodactyla) Examined with Phylogenetically Independent Contrasts". Journal of Mammalian Evolution. 13 (1): 11–36. doi:10.1007/s10914-005-9001-3. ISSN 1064-7554. Retrieved 22 February 2025 – via Springer Nature Link.

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[1] Brachycrus at fossilworks

[EoDP-2] Palmer, D., ed. (1999). The Marshall Illustrated Encyclopedia of Dinosaurs and Prehistoric Animals. London: Marshall Editions. p. 271. ISBN 1-84028-152-9.

[3] Mihlbachler, Matthew C.; Solounias, Nikos (18 March 2006). "Coevolution of Tooth Crown Height and Diet in Oreodonts (Merycoidodontidae, Artiodactyla) Examined with Phylogenetically Independent Contrasts". Journal of Mammalian Evolution. 13 (1): 11–36. doi:10.1007/s10914-005-9001-3. ISSN 1064-7554. Retrieved 22 February 2025 – via Springer Nature Link.

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