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Animal Database
Macrauchenia
WWB Macrauchenia
Information
Range South America
Estimated Population 0
Scientific Classification
Kingdom Animalia
Class Mammalia
Order Litopterna
Family Macraucheniidae
Conservation Status
EXSpecies
Extinct

Macrauchenia patachonica is an extinct mammal whose name means (big neck) in greek. It lived in south america during the miocene to pleistocene era around more than 20,000-10,000 years ago. It looked like a llama with a nose of a tapir, but it's not a llama, because Macrauchenia herds stampeded to get away from its predators, like bison do today. One of its predators is the Thylacosmilus that also killed Promacrauchenia and Mixotoxodon.

Taxonomy[]

Description[]

Macrauchenia lived with other herbivorous mammals like Toxodon and Megatherium. They lived in herds and escape the jaws of the saber-toothed cat. It resembled a humpless camel, but it is not the ancestor of modern camels. It had a trunk for communicating, males and females can use their trunks to mate or scare away predators who ate Macrauchenia for lunch.

Paleobiology[]

Classification[]

Macrauchenia belonged to an extinct group of ungulates, not the camel family that includes camels and their relatives. Some scientists think that this mammal had fur to keep it warm, like the modern llama and alpaca of south america.

Gallery[]

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