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Amynodontidae ("defensive tooth") is a family of extinct related to true rhinoceroses. They are commonly portrayed as semiaquatic hippo-like rhinos (1999). 9781840281521, Marshall Editions. ISBN 9781840281521 but this description only fits members of the Metamynodontini; other groups of amynodonts like the cadurcodontines had more typical ungulate proportions and convergently evolved a tapir-like proboscis.
The Greek name of the family describes their tusks, derived from enlarged canine teeth. Odd-toed ungulates are herbivores, so these tusks would have been used either to deter or defend against predators (as suggested by the name) or perhaps in fights among males.
Their fossils have been found in North America, and Eurasia ranging in age from the Middle Eocene to the Early Oligocene, with a single genus ( Cadurcotherium) surviving into the Late Oligocene in South Asia (Pakistan). (1989). 9780195060393, Oxford University Press. ISBN 9780195060393
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