Daeodon
By Dana Qablawi
A Little About It.
- Was named by Edward Drinker Cope in 1879
- Largest known Entelodont
- Look resembles the modern day bison and white rhino
- Also known as Dinohyus and some people refer to it as terrible pig
When Did It Exist?
- During the late Eocene epoch to early Miocene Epoch
- Around 20-30 million years ago
- Believed to have lived in North America and Asia
Fossil Evidence
- Fossils have bean located in North America
- Fossils of other mammals have bite marks on them which match the dental patterns of the Daeodons jaw
- 1924, archaeologists found Daeodon fossils.
- Found a body of a man in gold clothes with the bones, remains were found in England
Diet.
- Believed to have eaten live animals, and some plants
- Debates on whether it ate only plants or animals as well
- Believed that it ate animals because of the size of its teeth
Possible Descendants
- Scientists say that the Daeodon is the ancestor of the modern day pig.
- Some palaeontologists say that they are more closely related to hippos
Link to Evolution Unit
- The Daeodon links to the evolution unit because it is believed that the Daeodon has evolved into a pig.
- During that time Pangea started to slowly break apart causing the species to separate.
- As a result the Daeodon may have mated with other animals resulting into a new species with different dietary needs making it the species it is today
Why Are They Extinct?
- Tied in with the ongoing climate change of the Oligocene and Miocene epoch
- Global cooling - also affects their diet
- If they did eat plants then these changes would have caused a large decrease in the plants types the Daeodon ate.
- The Daeodon made no change which showed that it either could not eat the different plant types, or it did not eat any plants in general
Habitat
- North America
- Some people say that the Daeodon was also in Asia and was able to cross the bridge between North America and Asia at the time called Beringia