Megalochoerus is an extinct genus of large and long-legged Suidae from the Miocene of Africa.[Pickford, Martin. 1993. Old world suoid systematics, phylogeny, biogeography, and biostratigraphy. Paleontologia i Evolució. 26-27: 237-269.][M. Pickford. 2007. Suidae and hippopotamidae from the Middle Miocene of Kipsaraman, Kenya and other sites in East Africa. Palaeontological Research 11(1):85-105]
Taxonomy
The species
M. khinzikebirus and
M. marymuunguae were once considered to belong to the related
Kubanochoerus or
Libycochoerus, but have since been reassigned to
Megalochoerus.
[Bishop LC (2010) Suoidea. In: Werdelin L, Sanders WJ, editors. Cenozoic Mammals of Africa. Berkeley: University of California Press. pp. 821–842.]
Megalochoerus marymuuguae was the smallest and earliest of the three species, while M. humungous was the latest occurring and largest.
Description
Megalochoerus contained some of the largest suids ever known to exist. Weight estimates of
M. khinzikebirus, intermediate in size between the other two species, have been as high as based on dental morphology, easily larger than other giant fossil pigs such as
Kubanochoerus and
Notochoerus. Other calculations based on molar and humerus measurements have yielded lower estimates for
M. khinzikebirus; based on measurements of the lower molar (m/1),
and based on articulation of the distal humerus.
Regardless, even the smallest estimates would suggest that the larger
M. homungous was the largest known suid, reaching the size of a
gomphothere which would have measured more than tall and weighed .
[Pickford M. & Morales J. (2003). — New Listriodontinae (Mammalia, Suidae) from Europe
and a review of listriodont evolution, biostratigraphy and biogeography. Geodiversitas. 25 (2) : 347-404.]
