Rytiodus

Rytiodus (meaning Rytina, "wrinkled", an old name for Steller's sea cow)[1] is an extinct genus of sirenian, whose fossils have been discovered in France, Europe and Libya.

Rytiodus
Temporal range: Miocene
Scientific classification
Kingdom:
Animalia
Phylum:
Chordata
Class:
Mammalia
Order:
Sirenia
Family:
Dugongidae
Genus:
†Rytiodus
Species
  • R. capgrandi (type species) Lartet, 1886
  • R. heali Domning, Sorbi, 2011

Description

With a length of 6 m (20 ft), Rytiodus was about twice the size as modern sirenians, surpassed only by Steller's sea cow, which was up to 8–9 m (26–30 ft) long. Like its closest modern relatives, the dugongs, Rytiodus had a pair of flippers, a streamlined body and a tail fin. Its flattened snout allowed it to feed in shallow coastal waters. Unlike modern sirenians, Rytiodus had short tusks which it may have used to extract food from the sand.[2]

See also

References
  1. Dixon, Dougal (2008). World Encyclopedia of Dinosaurs & Prehistoric Creatures. New York: Lorenz Books. pp. 475. ISBN 0-7548-1730-X.
  2. Palmer, D., ed. (1999). The Marshall Illustrated Encyclopedia of Dinosaurs and Prehistoric Animals. London: Marshall Editions. p. 229. ISBN 1-84028-152-9.
  • Barry Cox, Colin Harrison, R.J.G. Savage, and Brian Gardiner. (1999): The Simon & Schuster Encyclopedia of Dinosaurs and Prehistoric Creatures: A Visual Who's Who of Prehistoric Life., Simon & Schuster.
  • David Norman. (2001): The Big Book Of Dinosaurs. Pg.347-348, Welcome Books.


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