In any list of weird fossil mammals, the regular set of ancient beasts are trotted out. There’s always a brontothere. Uintatherium often shows up. Deinotherium isn’t a surprise, either. And while these long lost mammals are indeed wonderful, there are plenty of critters that are just as strange. One of my favorites is Prolibytherium.
Exactly what sort of beast Prolibytherium was, no one knows for sure. The herbivore has been punted around the hoofed mammal tree a bit, and, for the moment, it seems closest to a group of extinct, deer-like mammals called climacoceratids. But one thing is for sure – this mammal wore some very bizarre headgear.
The first species, named by Camille Arambourg from the 16 million year old rock of Libya, had a massive, splayed appendage growing from between its eyes and over the back of the head. And as Israel Sánchez and colleagues argued in 2010, these ornaments differed between the sexes, with probable females having minimalist spikes that more or less present the framework on which the broader male palms are supported. And now Melinda Danowitz, Rebecceca Domalski, and Nikos Solounias have named a new species of this unusual mammal, extending the range of Prolibytherium into Asia and its span back three million years.
The new species, Prolibytherium fusus, is only known from a 19 million year old braincase with the broad ornaments broken off. Yet, aside from the fractured attachments for the appendages, the back of the skull shows that this species must have had heavy appendages like its geologically younger relative. The occipital condyles – the attachment sites between the back of the skull and the front of the neck – are fused and thickened, providing greater support along the midline for carrying all that extra bone around. And, Danowitz and colleagues note, the reinforcement at the back of the skull might have had provided greater reinforcement for combat, too, although how these butterfly-faced mammals fought is so far left to our Cenozoic imagination.
Fossil Facts
Name: Prolibytherium fusus
Meaning: Prolibytherium means “before Libya’s beast”, coined by Camille Arambourg in 1969 for a different species, while fusus refers to the fused occipital condyles at the back of the skull.
Age: About 19 million years old.
Where in the world?: Zinda Pir, Pakistan
What sort of critter?: A ruminant mammal of uncertain affinities.
Size: About the size of a caribou.
How much of the creature’s body is known?: A braincase with the cranial appendages broken off.
References:
Danowitz, M., Domalski, R., Solounias, N. 2015. A new species of Prolibytherium (Ruminantia, Mammalia) from Pakistan, and the functional implications of an atypical atlanto-occipital morphologyA new species of Prolibytherium (Ruminantia, Mammalia) from Pakistan, and the functional implications of an atypical atlanto-occipital morphologyA new species of Prolibytherium (Ruminantia, Mammalia) from Pakistan, and the functional implications of an atypical atlanto-occipital morphology. Journal of Mammalian Evolution. doi: 10.1007/s10914-015-9307-8
Sánchez, I., Quiralte, V., Morales, J., Azanza, B., Pickford, M. 2010. Sexual dimorphism of the frontal appendages of the early Miocene pecoran Prolibytherium Arambourh, 1961 (Mammalia, Ruminantia). Journal of Vertebrate Paleontology. doi: 10.1080/02724634.2010.483555
Previous Paleo Profiles:
The Unfortunate Dragon
The Cross Lizard
The Cross Lizard
The South China Lizard
Zhenyuan Sun’s dragon
Zhenyuan Sun’s dragon
The Fascinating Scrap
The Fascinating Scrap
The Sloth Claw
The Hefty Kangaroo
Mathison’s Fox
Scar Face
The Rain-Maker Lizard
“Lightning Claw”
The Ancient Agama
The Hell-Hound
The Hell-Hound
The Cutting Shears of Kimbeto Wash
The False Moose
“Miss Piggy” the Prehistoric Turtle
Mexico’s “Bird Mimic”
The Greatest Auk
Catalonia’s Little Ape
Related Topics
Go Further
Animals
- This ‘saber-toothed’ salmon wasn’t quite what we thoughtThis ‘saber-toothed’ salmon wasn’t quite what we thought
- Why this rhino-zebra friendship makes perfect senseWhy this rhino-zebra friendship makes perfect sense
- When did bioluminescence evolve? It’s older than we thought.When did bioluminescence evolve? It’s older than we thought.
- Soy, skim … spider. Are any of these technically milk?Soy, skim … spider. Are any of these technically milk?
- This pristine piece of the Amazon shows nature’s resilienceThis pristine piece of the Amazon shows nature’s resilience
Environment
- This pristine piece of the Amazon shows nature’s resilienceThis pristine piece of the Amazon shows nature’s resilience
- Listen to 30 years of climate change transformed into haunting musicListen to 30 years of climate change transformed into haunting music
- This ancient society tried to stop El Niño—with child sacrificeThis ancient society tried to stop El Niño—with child sacrifice
- U.S. plans to clean its drinking water. What does that mean?U.S. plans to clean its drinking water. What does that mean?
History & Culture
- Séances at the White House? Why these first ladies turned to the occultSéances at the White House? Why these first ladies turned to the occult
- Gambling is everywhere now. When is that a problem?Gambling is everywhere now. When is that a problem?
- Beauty is pain—at least it was in 17th-century SpainBeauty is pain—at least it was in 17th-century Spain
- The real spies who inspired ‘The Ministry of Ungentlemanly Warfare’The real spies who inspired ‘The Ministry of Ungentlemanly Warfare’
- Heard of Zoroastrianism? The religion still has fervent followersHeard of Zoroastrianism? The religion still has fervent followers
Science
- Here's how astronomers found one of the rarest phenomenons in spaceHere's how astronomers found one of the rarest phenomenons in space
- Not an extrovert or introvert? There’s a word for that.Not an extrovert or introvert? There’s a word for that.
- NASA has a plan to clean up space junk—but is going green enough?NASA has a plan to clean up space junk—but is going green enough?
- Soy, skim … spider. Are any of these technically milk?Soy, skim … spider. Are any of these technically milk?
- Can aspirin help protect against colorectal cancers?Can aspirin help protect against colorectal cancers?
Travel
- What it's like to hike the Camino del Mayab in MexicoWhat it's like to hike the Camino del Mayab in Mexico
- Is this small English town Yorkshire's culinary capital?Is this small English town Yorkshire's culinary capital?
- Follow in the footsteps of Robin Hood in Sherwood ForestFollow in the footsteps of Robin Hood in Sherwood Forest
- This chef is taking Indian cuisine in a bold new directionThis chef is taking Indian cuisine in a bold new direction