The Return of Eohippus; also, the "whale-rus"

["Thomas R. Holtz, Jr." <tholtz@geol.umd.edu>]

Greetings,

Some fossil fuzzball papers in Zoological Journal of the Linnean Society,
which I don't recall being mentioned on the DML yet:

FROEHLICH, D.J. 2002.  Quo vadis eohippus? The systematics and taxonomy of
the early Eocene equids (Perissodactyla). Zoological Journal of the Linnean
Society 134: 141-256.

Dave's monograph recognizes that many of the creatures previously called
"Hyracotherium" represent a paraphyletic grade of equoids.  He proposes
several new genera (_Sifrihippus_, _Minippus_, _Arenahippus_) and resurrects
the names _Xenicohippus_, _Eohippus_ and _Systemodon_ for various members of
the basal perissodactyls (and basal equoids).

Incidentally, if memory serves, the wonderful "Eohippus" or "Hyracotherium"
on display at the Smithsonian is "_H. grangeri_", which is now in
_Arenahippus_.

---------

de MUIZON, C. & D.P. DOMNING. 2002. The anatomy of _Odobenocetops_
(Delphinoidea, Mammalia), the walrus-like dolphin from the Pliocene of Peru
and its palaeobiological implications. Zoological Journal of the Linnean
Society 134: 423-452.

This is the infamous "whalerus": a cetacean convergent on walrus morphology:
downward pointing tusks, for instance.  A new species, _O. leptodon_, is
named.

                Thomas R. Holtz, Jr.
                Vertebrate Paleontologist
Department of Geology           Director, Earth, Life & Time Program
University of Maryland          College Park Scholars
                College Park, MD  20742
http://www.geol.umd.edu/~tholtz/tholtz.htm
http://www.geol.umd.edu/~jmerck/eltsite
Phone:  301-405-4084    Email:  tholtz@geol.umd.edu
Fax (Geol):  301-314-9661       Fax (CPS-ELT): 301-405-0796