Kingdom Animalia Order Perissodactyla Rank Family | Phylum Chordata Scientific name Palaeotheriidae | |
 | ||
Lower classifications Hyracotherium, Propalaeotherium | ||
Palaeotheriidae is an extinct family of herbivorous perissodactyl mammals related to tapirs and rhinoceros, and probably ancestral to horses. They ranged across Europe and Asia during the Eocene through Oligocene 55—28 Ma, existing for approximately 27 million years.
Contents
Living in dense forests, they ate soft leaves, shoots, berries, and leaf matter picked up from the forest floor.
Morphology
Palaeothere sizes ranged from 20 to 75 cm (8 to 30 in) at the shoulder, and weighed an estimated 10–30 kg (20–70 lb).
Fossil distribution
References
Palaeotheriidae Wikipedia(Text) CC BY-SA