| “ | This is Ancylotherium, an ancient cousin of the Rhino that was once wide spread, but is now only left in Africa. | „ |
| — Allen Johnson, about Ancylotherium in The Walking Ape | ||
Ancylotherium (name meaning "Hooked Beast") is a genus of chalicothere mammal that originated during the Late Miocene epoch in what is now Europe, Asia, and Africa.
In the Series 3 episode "The Walking Ape," a small herd of Ancylotherium consisting of a handful were brought to the park from Pliocene Africa, 3.2 million years ago. They reside in the Ape-Man Jungle Enclosure.
Later a few Ancylotherium were seen grazing on leaves while some were drinking water in Early Pleistocene Africa, 2 million years ago.
Facts[]
Era & Discovery[]
Ancylotherium lived in Africa during the Late Miocene, a little more than 6 million years ago. By the time of the Pliocene, they had all declined, however, and Ancylotherium itself lived only in parts of Africa, beside some of our ancestors, like Australopithecus, Homo habilis, Homo rudolfensis, and Paranthropus bosei. Ancylotherium died out at the end of Pliocene, roughly 2 MYA, when the more modern and advanced herbivores, such as antelope and zebra, evolved and outcompeted it for food resources.
One of the very last of the Chalicotheres, Ancylotherium is even rumored to have survived into the modern times - the fabled Nandi Bear. This is part of Cryptozoology though, and so is not scientifically recognized, nor does it have the same cryptozoology status as the Yeti or Loch Ness Monster. Ancylotherium was named by Gaudry in 1863.
Physical Attributes[]
Ancylotherium legs
Standing around 6 feet (2 m) tall and weighing close to 1000 pounds, Ancylotheirium was known to be one of the last chalicotheres: it was a fairly close relative of the knuckle-walking species Chalicotherium, a Chalicothere that like others, had been highly successful during the Oligocene. Nevertheless, Ancylotherium itself walked only on all fours and was built more conservatively than its knuckle-walking relatives.
Ancylotherium had short back legs and longer front legs; this enabled it to feed easier on bushes and trees of prehistoric East Africa, where it lived. Although it was a relatively big animal, around 6 feet (2 m) tall, it was a very cautious one. It lived side by side with australopithecines, the earliest ancestors of humans.
Behavior & Traits[]
Ancylotherium were herbivores, and their sheer size as adults would have probably protected them from any African predator. There were few animals that would tackle an adult Ancylotherium, but its calves were probably vulnerable to predators (i.e. Crocodiles, Dinofelis, and Megantereon, the African ancestor of Smilodon). Because of this, Ancylotherium probably protected its youngsters, even though it was likely to be a solitary animal and not a social one.
Gallery[]
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Trivia[]
- Ancylotherium is the second chalicothere brought to the park.