| Prodinoceras Temporal range:
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| Skull of Prodinoceras martyr | |
Scientific classification 
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| Kingdom: | Animalia |
| Phylum: | Chordata |
| Class: | Mammalia |
| Order: | †Dinocerata |
| Family: | †Prodinoceratidae |
| Genus: | †Prodinoceras Matthew, Granger & Simpson, 1929 |
| Species | |
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| Synonyms | |
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Prodinoceras, from Ancient Greek πρό (pró), meaning "before", δεινός (deinós), meaning "terrible", and κέρας (kéras), meaning "horn", is the earliest known dinocerate genus, which lived in the late Paleocene of Mongolia.1
Description
Prodinoceras was rather large, reaching 2.9 m (9 ft 6 in) in length.2 It is also regarded as the most basal uintathere, as, although it had the characteristic fang-like tusks, it had yet to evolve the characteristic knob-like horns. The genus also bears 3 upper incisors, a trait lacking in later dinocerates. The astragalus also possesses a distinct neck and the trochlear facet is not expanded.3
Classification
Prodinoceras possesses traits that indicate it is a sister group to the other derived dinocerates.4 Most literature posits Prodinoceras and Probathyopsis as close relatives.13
Phylogeny of dinocerates, in accordance with Scott et al.4
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Prodinoceras | |
References
References
- Simpson, George Gaylord. "A new Paleocene uintathere and molar evolution in the Amblypoda. American Museum novitates ; no. 387". Biodiversity Heritage Library. Retrieved 2025-10-06.
- "Paleocene mammals of the world". Archived from the original on 11 September 2022.
- "Systematics and evolution of Probathyopsis (Mammalia, Dinocerata) from the late Paleocene and early Eocene of western North America / by J.G.M. Thewissen and P.D. Gingerich". discover.library.wales. Retrieved 2025-10-06.
- Janis, Christine M.; Scott, Kathleen M.; Jacobs, Louis L. (1998-05-28). Evolution of Tertiary Mammals of North America: Volume 1, Terrestrial Carnivores, Ungulates, and Ungulate Like Mammals. Cambridge University Press. ISBN 978-0-521-35519-3.