Pyrotherium

Taxobox
name = "Pyrotherium"
status = fossil
fossil_range = Early Oligocene


image_caption = "Pyrotherium romeroi" and "Rhynchippus equinus"
regnum = Animalia
phylum = Chordata
classis = Mammalia
ordo = †Pyrotheria
familia = †Pyrotheriidae
genus = †"Pyrotherium"
genus_authority = Ameghino, 1888

"Pyrotherium" ('fire beast') is an extinct genus of South American ungulate, of the order Pyrotheria, that lived in what is now Argentina, during the Early Oligocene.The vaguely elephant-like "Pyrotherium" was 3 m (10 ft) long and 1.50 m (5 ft) tall at the shoulders. Its heavy body was carried by robust legs. "Pyrotherium" also had a short trunk on its snout, and flat, forward facing tusks (two in the upper jaw, one in the lower one).Possible South American descendants of the xenungulates, the complete study of the tarsus of "Pyrotherium" fails to support the relationship of pyrotheres with the Xenungulata. They are best represented by Oligocene "Pyrotherium", a poorly known animal.Derived characters were not seen in any mammal examined except the embrithopod "Arsinoitherium" from the Tertiary of Africa.cite journal | author = Shockey, B.J., and Anaya, F. | year = 2004 | title = "Pyrotherium macfaddeni", sp. nov. (late Oligocene, Bolivia) and the pedal morphology of pyrotheres | journal = Journal of Vertebrate Paleontology | volume = 24 | issue = 2 | pages = 481–488 | doi = 10.1671/2521] Whether this is due to common ancestry or the unusual mode of locomotion used by these animals (graviportal and plantigrade) remains to be seen. It was named "Fire Beast" because the first specimens were excavated from an ancient volcanic ashfall.

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