Metaxytherium
Extinct genus of dugong / From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
Metaxytherium is an extinct genus of dugong that lived from the Oligocene until the end of the Pliocene. Fossil remains have been found in Africa, Europe, North America and South America. Generally marine seagrass specialists, they inhabited the warm and shallow waters of the Paratethys, Mediterranean, Caribbean Sea and Pacific coastline. American species of Metaxytherium are considered to be ancestral to the North Pacific family Hydrodamalinae, which includes the giant Steller's sea cow.
Quick Facts Scientific classification, Species ...
Metaxytherium | |
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Metaxytherium floridanum fossil | |
Life restoration of M. albifontanum | |
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Genus: | Metaxytherium De Christol 1840 |
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