Andrewsarchus facts for kids

Quick facts for kids Andrewsarchus Temporal range: Eocene
The only skull of Andrewsarchus, on display at the American Museum of Natural History in New York City.
Scientific classification
Kingdom:	Animalia
Phylum:	Chordata
Class:	Mammalia
Order:	†Mesonychia
Family:	†Triisodontidae
Genus:	†Andrewsarchus Pao, 1923
Species
A. mongoliensis Pao, 1923 (type)

Andrewsarchus mongoliensis (Andrews + Greek ἀρχός, "ruler"), was a mammalian Mesonychid predator.

This large heavily-built, wolf-like, mammal lived during the Eocene, about 45 to 36 million years ago. It walked on four short legs and had a long body, a long tail, and feet with hoofed toes. It had a long snout with large, sharp teeth and flat cheek teeth that may have been used to crush bones.

Because Andrewsarchus is only known from a skull and a few other bones, whether it was an active predator or merely a large scavenger is open to debate, as is its exact time range.

Reconstruction of A. mongoliensis

Images for kids

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  Type skull compared to those of other carnivores, from Osborn (1924)

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  Life restoration

See also

In Spanish: Andrewsarchus para niños