Daeodon

Daeodon is an extinct genus of entelodont artiodactyl that inhabited North America between 29 and 15.97 million years ago during the middle Oligocene and early Miocene epochs. It had a broad distribution across the United States, but it was never abundant. The type species is Daeodon shoshonensis, the last and possible largest of the entelodonts; known adults of this species possessed skulls about 90 cm (3 ft) in length.

Description

Daeodon shoshonensis is the largest-known entelodont; known adult individuals had skulls about 90 cm (3 ft) long and were about 1.77 m (5.8 ft) tall at the shoulders. It's differentiated from other entelodonts by a suite of unique dental characters, the shape and relatively small size of the cheekbone flanges of its skull compared to those of Archaeotherium, the small size of its chin tubercle, as well as features of its carpus and tarsus and the fusion of the bones of the lower leg. Like other entelodonts, its limbs were long and slender with the bones of the foreleg fused together and with only two toes on each foot. It also had a relatively lightly constructed neck for the size of its head, whose weight was mostly supported by muscles and tendons attached to the tall spines of the thoracic vertebrae, similar to those of modern-day bison and white rhinoceros.

Diet

Daeodon was omnivorous like all other entelodonts. Enamel patterns suggest eating of nuts, roots, and vines. The superficial similarity to peccaries, hippos, and bears implies a wide range in terms of what plants Daeodon may have been eating. The dry seasons of North America at the time could get very harsh, so they may have supplemented their water intake by eating grape vines. The extent of its carnivory is debated, but tooth wear suggests they specialized in crushing bone and ripping meat, and bite marks on chalicothere bones suggest they either hunted or scavenged large herbivores. Foss (2001) argues its head was far too heavy to be effective in taking down large prey so it must have relied exclusively on scavenging, but its bison-like adaptations for running, the stereoscopic vision characteristic of predators, and evidence of predation in entelodonts calls this interpretation into question. The uncertainty of their diets suggests they were likely opportunistic omnivores similar to bears, eating whatever they need depending on the circumstance.