Barytherium
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Extinct (fossil)
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Barytherium is a genus of an extinct family (Barytheriidae) of primitive proboscidean that lived during the late Eocene and early Oligocene period in North Africa. The barytheriidae were the first large size proboscideans to appear in the fossil records and were characterized by a strong sexual dimorphism.
The only known member of this family is Barytherium grave found at the beginning of the 20th century in the Fayum, Egypt. More complete materials have been found since then at Dor el Talha, Libya, indicating an animal slightly smaller than an asian elephant with very short tusks and a more slender built than its modern relative.
[edit] References
- Andrews, C.W. 1901. Über das Vorkommen von Proboscidiern in untertertiären Ablagerungen Aegyptens. Tageblatt des V Internationalen Zoologischen Kongresses, Berlin 6: 4–5.
