Dichobunidae is an extinct family of basal artiodactyl mammals from the early Eocene to late Oligocene of North America, Europe, and Asia. The Dichobunidae include some of the earliest known artiodactyls, such as Diacodexis.
Description They were small animals, averaging about the size of a modern rabbit, and had many primitive features. In life, they would have resembled a long-tailed muntjac or chevrotain. Dichobunids had four or five toes on each foot, with each toe ending in a small hoof. They had complete sets of teeth, unlike most later artiodactyls, with their more specialist dentitions. The shape of the teeth suggests they were browsers, feeding on small leaves, perhaps in the forest undergrowth. The shape of their bodies and limbs suggests they would have been fast-running animals, unlike most of their contemporaries.
Taxonomy Classification of dichobunids following McKenna and Bell:
† Family Dichobunidae Paraphenacodus Dulcidon Chorlakkia Pakibune Pakkokuhyus Progenitohyus Haqueina Subfamily Dichobuninae Tribe Hyperdichobunini Mouillacitherium Hyperdichobune Tribe Dichobunini Aumelasia Meniscodon Messelobunodon Dichobune Buxobune Neufferia Metriotherium Synaphodus Subfamily Eurodexeinae Eurodexis Eygalayodon Lutzia Parahexacodus Subfamily Diacodexeinae Diacodexis Bunophorus Protodichobune Tapochoerus Neodiacodexis
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