| Prothylacinus | |
|---|---|
| |
| Life restoration of P. patagonicus and Interatherium robustum | |
Scientific classification 
| |
| Kingdom: | Animalia |
| Phylum: | Chordata |
| Class: | Mammalia |
| Order: | †Sparassodonta |
| Family: | †Prothylacinidae |
| Genus: | †Prothylacinus Ameghino, 1891 |
| Type species | |
| Prothylacinus patagonicus Ameghino, 1891
| |
| Synonyms | |
| |
Prothylacinus is an extinct genus of South American metatherian, that lived during the Early Miocene.1
Description
Prothylacinus had a vestigial hallux that was most likely not visible in life. The humerus bore the epicondylar foramen. In form it was similar to the related Borhyaena.2 As with other Sparassodonts, the deciduous teeth are less reduced, only the canines and premolars changing.2
Distribution
Fossils of Prothylacinus have been found in the Friasian Río Frias Formation of Chile and the Santacrucian Santa Cruz Formation of Argentina.3
References
References
- Argot, C. (2003). "Functional adaptations of the postcranial skeleton of two Miocene borhyaenoids (Mammalia, Metatheria), Borhyaena and Prothylacinus, from South America". Palaeontology. 46 (6): 1213–1267. Bibcode:2003Palgy..46.1213A. doi:10.1046/j.0031-0239.2003.00339.x.
- Scott, William Berryman; Scott, William Berryman (1913). A history of land mammals in the Western Hemisphere; illustrated with 32 plates and more than 100 drawings. New York: Macmillan.
- Prothylacinus at Fossilworks.org