Merychyus
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Merychyus Temporal range: 35–5 Ma Late Eocene to Miocene |
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| M. elegans fossil, Royal Ontario Museum | |
| Scientific classification | |
| Kingdom: | Animalia |
| Phylum: | Chordata |
| Class: | Mammalia |
| Order: | Artiodactyla |
| Family: | †Merycoidodontidae |
| Genus: | †Merychyus |
Merychyus is an extinct genus of terrestrial herbivore of the family Merycoidodontidae (oreodont), endemic to North America during the Eocene-Miocene subepochs (35—4.9 mya) existing for approximately 29.667 million years.
Merychyus was a cud-chewing plant-eater with a short face, tusk-like canine teeth, heavy body, long tail, short feet, and four-toed hooves.
Merychyus was named and assigned to Merycoidodontidae by Joseph Leidy (1858) and Lander (1998); and to Merychyinae by Parris and Grandstaff (2003).
Four specimens were examined by M. Mendoza for body mass and estimated to have a weight of:
Fossils are widespread through the central and western United States.
M. arenarum (syn. M. delicatus, M. euryops), M. crabilli, M. elegans (syn. M. jahnsi) (type species), M. major (syn. Merycochoerus californicus), M. medius, M. minimus (syn. M. calaminthus, M. paniensis, M. verrucomalus), M. novomexicanus (syn. Ustatochoerus skinneri), M. relictus, M. smithi (syn. M. calimontanus, Ticholeptus tooheyi), Ustatochoerus leptoscelos
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