Knowra Notoungulata Notoungulata Notoungulata is an extinct order of hoofed mammals that lived mainly in South America from the Paleocene to the end of the Pleistocene. Its members ranged from small browsers to large, rhinoceros-like herbivores.
Meridiungulata : Meridiungulata is a proposed clade of extinct South American ungulates that includes notoungulates and several related orders. This broader grouping places Notoungulata among South America's endemic hoofed mammals.
Toxodon : Toxodon is an extinct, large-bodied South American notoungulate known from the Pleistocene. Its robust build and broad teeth exemplify the order's largest, grazing forms.
South American land mammal age : The South American land mammal age is the continent's Cenozoic sequence of terrestrial mammal communities, shaped by isolation and later interchange. Notoungulates diversified through much of this distinctive fossil succession.
Paleobiology : Paleobiology studies the biology and ecology of ancient organisms using fossils and geological evidence. Notoungulate fossils support reconstructions of their diet, locomotion, and habitats.
Ungulate : An ungulate is a hoofed mammal or a member of a lineage traditionally grouped by hoof-bearing ancestry. Notoungulates are classified as hoofed mammals, though ungulate relationships have been revised repeatedly.
Macrauchenia : Macrauchenia is an extinct South American litoptern, a long-necked herbivore with three-toed limbs and unusual nasal anatomy. It is a familiar South American ungulate relative, but belongs to Litopterna rather than Notoungulata.
Paleogene : The Paleogene is the geological period from about 66 to 23 million years ago, comprising the Paleocene, Eocene, and Oligocene epochs. The order's early diversification began within this period.
Stable isotope analysis : Stable isotope analysis measures ratios of nonradioactive isotopes in materials to infer diet, climate, or ecological conditions. Isotopes in notoungulate teeth help distinguish feeding strategies and habitat use.
Hypsodonty : Hypsodonty is the condition of having high-crowned teeth that continue to erupt or resist wear over prolonged use. Many notoungulates evolved high-crowned teeth suited to abrasive diets.
Hegetotherium : Hegetotherium is an extinct genus of small, rabbit-like notoungulates from South America. Its compact size contrasts with the order's giant late members.
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