Mylohyus Temporal range: Pliocene - Early Holocene, 5–0.009 Ma |
|
---|---|
M. nasutus | |
Scientific classification | |
Kingdom: | Animalia |
Phylum: | Chordata |
Class: | Mammalia |
Order: | Artiodactyla |
Family: | Tayassuidae |
Genus: |
†Mylohyus Leidy, 1860 |
Species | |
|
Mylohyus is an extinct genus of peccary found in North and Central America. It evolved in the Pliocene and its extinction is probably as recent as 9,000 years ago. It would have been familiar with early humans.
Six species were known, the most famous being Mylohyus nasutus, also known as the long-nosed peccary. The genus was slightly larger-bodied than any modern peccaries, with an estimated mass of 68 kg (150 lb).