Article · Wikipedia archive · Last revised Jun 2, 2026

Eoconodon

Eoconodon is an extinct genus of triisodontid mesonychian that existed during the early Paleocene of North America. Characteristics of the genus include massive jaws, blunt builds, and strong canine teeth.

Last revised
Jun 2, 2026
Read time
≈ 1 min
Length
247 w
Citations
3
Source
Wikipedia ↗
Eoconodon
Temporal range: Early Paleocene,
Eoconodon coryphaeus skull, Denver Museum of Nature and Science
Life reconstruction of Eoconodon coryphaeus
Scientific classification Edit this classification
Kingdom: Animalia
Phylum: Chordata
Class: Mammalia
Infraclass: Placentalia
Order: †Mesonychia
Family: †Triisodontidae
Genus: †Eoconodon
Matthew & Granger, 1921
Type species
†Eoconodon coryphaeus
(Cope, 1885)
Species

See text

Eoconodon is an extinct genus of triisodontid mesonychian that existed during the early Paleocene of North America.1 Characteristics of the genus include massive jaws, blunt builds, and strong canine teeth.2

E. coryphaeus jaw source ↗

Eoconodon is considered to be a giant for mammals during the Early Paleocene, with E. coryphaeus weighing up to 47 kilograms (104 lb), making it the oldest known large mammalian carnivore in the fossil record.3

Species

  • Eoconodon copanus
  • Eoconodon coryphaeus
  • Eoconodon ginibitohia
  • Eoconodon heilprinianus
  • Eoconodon nidhoggi
References

References

  1. Clemens, William A. (2011). "Eoconodon ("Triisodontidae," Mammalia) from the Early Paleocene (Puercan) of northeastern Montana, USA" (PDF). Palaeontologia Electronica. 14.
  2. Clemens, William A.; Williamson, Thomas E. (2005). "A new species of Eoconodon (Triisodontidae, Mammalia) from the San Juan Basin, New Mexico". Journal of Vertebrate Paleontology. 25 (1): 208–213. doi:10.1671/0272-4634(2005)025[0208:ANSOET]2.0.CO;2. S2CID 86047162.
  3. T. R. Lyson; I. M. Miller; A. D. Bercovici; K. Weissenburger; A. J. Fuentes; W. C. Clyde; J. W. Hagadorn; M. J. Butrim; K. R. Johnson; R. F. Fleming; R. S. Barclay; S. A. Maccracken; B. Lloyd; G. P. Wilson; D. W. Krause; S. G. B. Chester (October 2019). "Exceptional continental record of biotic recovery after the Cretaceous–Paleogene mass extinction". Science. 366 (6468): 977–983. doi:10.1126/science.aay2268. PMID 31649141. S2CID 204883579.