Coryphodon

Coryphodon is an extinct genus of large herbivorous pantodont mammals that lived across the Northern Hemisphere during the Paleocene and early Eocene.

Pantodonta: An extinct order of mostly large, hoofed-like mammals that flourished during the Paleocene and Eocene. Coryphodon is one of the best-known genera in this early mammalian order.
Coryphodon dentition: The tooth arrangement and structure characteristic of Coryphodon, including broad molars used to grind plant matter. Its molars offer evidence for how this animal processed tough vegetation.
Paleocene–Eocene Thermal Maximum: A brief global warming event about 56 million years ago that rapidly altered climate and ecosystems. Coryphodon lived across the boundary near this major climate disturbance.
Coryphodon radians: A species of Coryphodon named from fossil material and commonly discussed in North American paleontology. It is one of the named species used to document the genus’s fossil record.
Mammalia: The class of vertebrates distinguished by hair, mammary glands, and specialized middle-ear bones. Coryphodon was a mammal, though its body plan differed from those of living hoofed mammals.
Molar: A posterior tooth with a broad crown used mainly for crushing or grinding food. Coryphodon’s broad molars were suited to chewing plant material.
North American mammal stages: A sequence of fossil-mammal biochronological intervals used to subdivide the Cenozoic of North America. Fossils of Coryphodon help characterize early Eocene intervals in North America.
Coryphodon lobatus: A named species of Coryphodon represented in the Paleogene fossil record. Its classification illustrates the species-level diversity attributed to the genus.
Paleocene: The geological epoch from about 66 to 56 million years ago, following the Cretaceous extinction. Coryphodon appeared during this epoch as mammalian communities diversified.
Skull: The bony structure that encloses and protects the brain and supports the jaws and sensory organs. Coryphodon’s large skull and jaw structure help explain its feeding adaptations.

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