Brontotheriidae

Uncommon card · No. 193356

Brontotheres (lit. 'thunder beasts'), also called titanotheres (lit. 'titanic beasts'), are an extinct group of perissodactyl (odd-toed ungulate) mammals belonging to the family Brontotheriidae. Brontotheres are traditionally interpreted as relatives of horses, though high-level perissodactyl relationships are not well understood. Brontotheres lived during the Eocene epoch and their fossils have mainly been found in Asia and North America, with some fossils also found in Eastern Europe. Early brontotheres were small animals, but later brontotheres grew to become some of the largest land mammals of the Eocene. The first brontothere fossils known to science were found in South Dakota in the mid-20th century. The name "brontothere" was derived from Lakota legends of wakíŋyaŋ, which can be translated to "thunder beasts". Over forty brontothere genera have since been recognized. The rapid diversification of the brontotheres, and their sudden extinction at the end of the Eocene after roughly...

Read on Wikipedia · Image Henry Fairfield Osborn (1857–1935), Public domain