Throughout Earth’s history, many animals have once called the blue planet their home. Some of the larger animals tower over humans today. Bear, tigers, and other big cats are the largest carnivorous land predators on the planet. Billions of years old, species have existed over the lifetime of the planet that make even today’s largest animals seem tiny. Here you will learn about the ancient Mongol predator that was as tall as a horse and weighed a ton.
the andrewsarchus is the largest terrestrial carnivorous mammal that has ever existed, but what exactly do we know about this ancient beast? Thanks to the fossils left by the animals and the incredible paleontologists who studied them, we can dive into the past. Although the Andrewsarchus has disappeared, there is still much to learn about this giant predator that lived millions of years ago.
What is the Andrewsarchus?
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Andrewsarchus is an extinct genus of carnivorous animals that lived in Eocene times. Andrewsarchus mongoliensis is the only species of its genus. This animal was a mammal, and recent studies classify this species as an animal artiodactyl. It is a member of the clade Centancodontamorpha, which is closely related to animals like hippos, dolphins and whales.
Today, Andrewsarchus is known only from fossil evidence left behind. Research has shown that the Andrewsarhcus was as tall as a horse and weighed over a ton. Its size made it one of the largest carnivores that roamed the earth.
Discovery of the Andrewsarchus
Currently, Andrewsarchus is only known from a single fossil, which was discovered in the spring of 1923. During an expedition led by paleontologist Roy Chapman Andrews, a 3-foot tall skull was found by the member of the Kan Chuen Pao expedition.
The American Museum of Natural History in New York sponsored the expedition. The name of Andrewsarchus mongoliensis is in reference to the leader of the expedition, and where the fossil was found, Inner Mongolia.
When discovered, the expedition members believed that the large Andrewsarchus skull belonged to an extinct pig. After being studied by a museum, further research showed that the fossil was a new species. When first classified, Andrewsarchus was categorized as a mesonychid and held the title “Giant Mongolian Mesonychid”.
Today, Andrewsarchus is classified as an artiodactyl. With further research and a chance for more possible fossil discoveries, there is much to discover about this ancient giant.
Size and appearance
©Ghedoghedo, CC BY-SA 3.0 The Andrewsarchus skull is the only known fossil, and it was about 86cm long and 56cm wide. Their mouths were filled with large, sharp teeth and flatter cheek teeth. By using other similar fossils, experts are able to estimate the size of this animal. It is estimated that Andrewsarchus was 6 feet tall and 12 feet long.
Although it is unknown what this large mammal looks like, most depictions show it resembling furry pigs. If this mammal had the estimated size, that would make it the largest terrestrial carnivorous mammal. Andrewsarchus is estimated to weigh between 1,700 and 2,200 pounds. The only carnivorous mammal that can rival them in size is the American short faced bear who stood 11 feet tall and weighed up to 2,500 pounds.
What did the Andrewsarchus eat?
Debates have been held about what this animal could have eaten, but it is highly likely that they were carnivores. Experts believed that Andresarchus was both a scavenger and a predator, eating the most food available to them. Being as large as a horse, Andrewsarchus was likely an apex predator and had the ability to take out most of the animals they attacked.
Habitat and period of Andrewsarchus
Inner Mongolia in China is where the only fossil of this species has been found. Andrewsarchus lived in the Late Eocene of the Paleogene. During this period, subtropical and temperate forests were abundant. It is likely that this species died in the Eocene era 36 million years ago, but it is not yet known what caused the disappearance of this animal. Earth’s climate change is a theory about what killed off megafauna like the Andrewsarchus.
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