Peligrotherium

Peligrotherium; Temporal range: Early Paleocene (Peligran); ~61.7–58.7 Ma PreꞒ Ꞓ O S D C P T J K Pg N ↓
	Life restoration and 3D model of skull and mandibles
Scientific classification
Domain:	Eukaryota
Kingdom:	Animalia
Phylum:	Chordata
Class:	Mammalia
Clade:	†Meridiolestida
Clade:	†Mesungulatoidea
Family:	†Peligrotheriidae; Bonaparte et al., 1993
Genus:	†Peligrotherium; Bonaparte et al., 1993
Species:	†P. tropicalis
Binomial name
	†Peligrotherium tropicalis; Bonaparte et al., 1993

Peligrotherium is an extinct meridiolestidan mammal from the Paleocene of Patagonia, originally interpreted as a stem-ungulate (though it did co-exist with early meridiungulates). Its remains have been found in the Salamanca Formation.^[1] Around the size of a dog, it was among the largest of all non-therian mammals, and the largest non-therian mammal known from South America.^[2] It is a member of Mesungulatoidea, a clade of herbivorous meridiolestidans with molars that had rounded (bunodont) cusps.^[3]

Description

The dental formula of Peligrotherium tropicalis was I4?/? C1/1 P3/3 M3/3. Its last premolar was fully molarised, having morphology strongly akin to a molar, as has been suggested for mesungulatoids broadly. The presence of a high cementoenamel junction with a pronounced ridge showing signs of having undergone oral abrasion suggests that the species had a tall, thick gingiva comparable to that of a hippopotamus.^[4]

Diet

A biomechanical study found Peligrotherium to be a herbivore that was functionally similar to the black rhino.^[5]

References

^ Peligrotherium at Fossilworks.org
^ Rougier, Guillermo, Martinelli, Agustin, Forasiepi, Analía M., Mesozoic Mammals from South America and their Forerunners, ISBN 978-3-030-63862-7
^ Tony Harper; Ana Parras; Guillermo W. Rougier (2018). "Reigitherium (Meridiolestida, Mesungulatoidea) an enigmatic Late Cretaceous mammal from Patagonia, Argentina: morphology, affinities, and dental evolution". Journal of Mammalian Evolution. in press. doi:10.1007/s10914-018-9437-x.
^ Rougier, G. W.; Paez-Arango, N.; Moore, J. P.; Biven-Leslie, Z. (29 April 2025). "Dental and mandibular morphology of Peligrotherium tropicalis (Mammalia, Meridiolestida) from the Paleocene of Patagonia, Argentina". Journal of Mammalian Evolution. 32 (2). doi:10.1007/s10914-025-09758-3. ISSN 1064-7554. Retrieved 16 June 2025 – via Springer Nature Link.
^ Harper, Tony; Adkins, Caleb; Rougier, Guillermo (2022). "Reconstructed masticatory biomechanics of Peligrotherium tropicalis, a non-therian mammal from the Paleocene of Argentina". Acta Palaeontologica Polonica. 67. doi:10.4202/app.00912.2021. Retrieved 16 June 2025.

External links

Inist
Dryolestoids Archived 2012-09-10 at the Wayback Machine
Dryolestida

This prehistoric mammal-related article is a stub. You can help Wikipedia by expanding it.

[FMPeligrotherium-1] Peligrotherium at Fossilworks.org

[2] Rougier, Guillermo, Martinelli, Agustin, Forasiepi, Analía M., Mesozoic Mammals from South America and their Forerunners, ISBN 978-3-030-63862-7

[3] Tony Harper; Ana Parras; Guillermo W. Rougier (2018). "Reigitherium (Meridiolestida, Mesungulatoidea) an enigmatic Late Cretaceous mammal from Patagonia, Argentina: morphology, affinities, and dental evolution". Journal of Mammalian Evolution. in press. doi:10.1007/s10914-018-9437-x.

[4] Rougier, G. W.; Paez-Arango, N.; Moore, J. P.; Biven-Leslie, Z. (29 April 2025). "Dental and mandibular morphology of Peligrotherium tropicalis (Mammalia, Meridiolestida) from the Paleocene of Patagonia, Argentina". Journal of Mammalian Evolution. 32 (2). doi:10.1007/s10914-025-09758-3. ISSN 1064-7554. Retrieved 16 June 2025 – via Springer Nature Link.

[5] Harper, Tony; Adkins, Caleb; Rougier, Guillermo (2022). "Reconstructed masticatory biomechanics of Peligrotherium tropicalis, a non-therian mammal from the Paleocene of Argentina". Acta Palaeontologica Polonica. 67. doi:10.4202/app.00912.2021. Retrieved 16 June 2025.

[1]

[2]

[3]

[4]

[5]