Pseudhyrax
Pseudhyrax is an extinct genus of archaeohyracid notoungulate. It lived from the Late Eocene to the Early Oligocene, of what is now South America.
Description
This animal was approximately the size of a modern raccoon, and its skull was approximately 13 centimeters long. The length of its body, excluding the tail, was approximately 65–75 centimeters, and it weighed around 7–9 kilograms. Pseudhyrax had a low and elongated skull, mainly characterized by its dentition. The premolars and molars of Pseudhyrax were particularly high-crowned.Classification
The genus Pseudhyrax was first described in 1901 by Florentino Ameghino, based on fossil remains found in Argentina in terrains dated from the Late Eocene. The type species is Pseudhyrax eutrachytheroides, and the species P. strangulatus was also named by Ameghino. The name Pseudhyrax reflects Ameghino's belief that this animal was related to hyraxes, due to the shape of its skull. The species name of the type species, eutrachytheroides, means "similar to Eutrachytherus", another genus of notoungulate currently considered as a synonym of Trachytherus.Pseudhyrax is traditionally considered a member of Archaeohyracidae, a clade of notoungulates sharing similarities with the modern rock hyrax, but larger in size and with hypsodont teeth. The family Archaeohyracidae, however, may be paraphyletic, and some of its members may be basal to other groups of typotheres.