Nov 20, 2017
While this animal might look like some sort of deer or horse, it was actually only distantly related to any modern hoofed mammals.
This is Thoatherium from the Early Miocene (~17-16 mya) of Argentina. About 70cm long (2′3″), it was related to the weird llama-like Macrauchenia and was part of an extinct group of ungulates (the Meridiungulata) which evolved during South America’s time as an isolated island continent.
It was adapted for fast running, with long legs and only a single horse-like hoof on each foot -- but it was even more one-toed than modern horses are, having no remaining “splint bones” from vestigial side toes.
