Palaeosyops

Palaeosyops (Greek: "old" (paleos), "boar" (kapros), "face" (ops)^[1]) is a genus of small brontothere which lived during the early to middle Eocene.^[2]

Palaeosyops Temporal range: Early Eocene–Middle Eocene PreꞒ Ꞓ O S D C P T J K Pg N
P. robustus skeleton
Scientific classification
Domain:	Eukaryota
Kingdom:	Animalia
Phylum:	Chordata
Class:	Mammalia
Order:	Perissodactyla
Family:	†Brontotheriidae
Genus:	†Palaeosyops
Species
P. paludosus Leidy, 1870 (type) P. robustus (Marsh, 1872)

Biology and size

P. robustus skull collected from Bridger Basin, Wyoming with model by Erwin S. Christman, AMNH.

It was about the size of small cattle, with a weight of 600–800 kg depending on the species.^[3]

These animals are commonly found in Wyoming fossil beds primarily as fossilized teeth. P. major was the largest species, reaching the size of a small cow. Its describer, Joseph Leidy, erroneously thought that Palaeosyops consumed both plants and animals after examining the fang-like canines. However, it is now known that all brontotheres were strict herbivores, and that many, if not most genera of hornless brontotheres had fang-like canines, possibly for both defense from predators, and intraspecific competition.

Restoration by Charles R. Knight