Metridiochoerus is an extinct genus of Suidae known from the Pliocene and Pleistocene of Africa. It is also known as the giant warthog.
Chronology
The oldest specimen dates to around 3.4 million years ago from the Usno Formation in Ethiopia.
It probably evolved from a recent immigrant from Eurasia, which has been suggested to be the European
"Postpotamochoerus" provincialis.
[M. Pickford ‘Locomotion, diet, body weight, origin and geochronology of Metridiochoerus andrewsi from the Gondolin Karst Deposits, Hauteng, South Africa’ Ann. Ditsong Natl. Mus. Nat. Hist., 3 (1) (2013), pp. 33-47] The youngest remains of the genus date to the Late Pleistocene in southern Africa (Zimababwe, and possibly South Africa).
Description
Metridiochoerus was a large animal, in length, resembling a giant
warthog. It had two pairs of large
tusks which were pointed sideways and curved upwards.
The teeth, especially the third molars, become increasingly high-crowned (
hypsodont) in later species.
Biology
The various species are usually thought to have been
Grazing,
though this has been questioned for the earliest, low-crowned species.
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Barry Cox, Colin Harrison, R.J.G. Savage, and Brian Gardiner. (1999): The Simon & Schuster Encyclopedia of Dinosaurs and Prehistoric Creatures: A Visual Who's Who of Prehistoric Life. Simon & Schuster.
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David Norman . (2001): The Big Book Of Dinosaurs. pg. 226, Walcome books.
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World Encyclopedia of Dinosaurs & Prehistoric Creatures: The Ultimate Visual Reference To 1000 Dinosaurs And Prehistoric Creatures Of Land, Air And Sea ... And Cretaceous Eras (World Encyclopedia) by Dougal Dixon
External links
