Choeropotamidae, also known as Haplobunodontidae, are a family of extinct mammal , belonging to the artiodactyls.
Description
Choeropotamidae had the classic archaic appearance of primitive artiodactyls, with an unspecialized body and relatively small size. However, since the middle Eocene, choeropotamids began to develop some characteristics that will be found, more accentuated, in the
suiforms: bunodonti molars (low and wide crown) and short legs. Partially complete fossils with shapes such as
Amphirhagatherium indicate that these animals still had a relatively elongated tail, slender legs shorter than those of other archaic artiodactyls, an elongated and flexible body, and a long snout. The length of these animals would not exceed 1 meter, and the weight was around 5 to 10 kilograms.
Classification
Choeropotamidae are mainly known in numerous European Eocene deposits, and only a few fossils of dubious identity have been found in
Egypt and
Turkey. Choeropotamids are clearly derived from primitive forms of artiodactyls such as
Diacodexis, and yet they already show some specializations that recall the suiforms, although they are not their direct ancestors. Among the various genera belonging to this family are
Haplobunodon,
Masillabune,
Choeropotamus,
Tapirulus,
Amphirhagatherium and
Rhagatherium.
