- Kubanochoerus
Taxobox
name = "Kubanochoerus"
image_caption = "Kubanochoerus gigas"
fossil_range =Miocene
regnum =Animal ia
phylum =Chordata
classis =Mammalia
ordo =Artiodactyla
familia =Suidae
genus = "Kubanochoerus"
subdivision_ranks = Species
subdivision =
*"K. gigas"
*"K. jeanneli"
*"K. robustus"
*"K. lantianensis"
*"K. mancharensis"
*"K. gabunia"
*"K. minheensis""Kubanochoerus" was a genus of large, long-legged pigs from the
Miocene ofEurasia . The largest species, the aptly named "K. gigas", grew to be up 1metre at the shoulder, and weighed up to 500 kilograms, in life. The heads of these pigs were unmistakable, with their small eyebrow horns, and a large horn emanating from the forehead of the males. It is speculated that the males used their forehead horns for jousting with each other.They all died out prior to the end of the Miocene.
The species "K. massai" was originally thought to be an
Africa n species, as the first specimen shared the genus' distinctive eyebrow horns. Its lack of a forehead horn lead experts to interpret the skull as belonging to a female. However, recently, "K. massai" has been split off into its own genus, "Libyochoerus " (commemorating the fact that it was originally found inLibya .) Some species of the genus "Megalochoerus " have been also reassigned to "Libyochoerus", though, many experts don't agree with this.
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