Sarkastodon Fossil range: 35 Ma PreЄ Є O S D C P T J K Pg N ↓ Late Eocene
Reconstruction of Sarkastodon
Scientific classification
Kingdom:	Animalia
Phylum:	Chordata
Class:	Mammalia
Order:	Creodonta
Family:	Oxyaenidae
Genus:	Sarkastodon Granger, 1938[1]
Species
S. mongoliensis Granger, 1938[1] (type)

Sarkastodon is an extinct genus within the family Oxyaenidae that lived during the upper Eocene, approximately 35 million years ago. It was large, carnivorous animal that lived in what is today Mongolia.^[1] Artistic depictions of this animal are rare. It was recorded to have been somewhat bigger than any living bear in average body size, which would place it at about 1000 kilograms in weight or so. This weight is about the common size limit of the biggest terrestrial carnivorous mammals, and appears related to available food and metabolic requirements. It is seen today in animals such as the Kodiak bear which tops off in this range in obese, captive zoo individuals. Sarkastodon was bearlike in general appearance, but with a functional, raccoon-like tail. Sarkastodon, like Creodonts in general, appeared to have had a mostly meat diet but may have fed on plant foods as well. There were large mammals in its range during the Eocene: brontotheres, chalicotheres, and rhinoceri.

[edit] Discovery

The type specimens of S. mongoliensis are known from Eocene deposits from the Irdin Manha Formation of Mongolia. Additional material referred to Sarkastodon is known from the Ulan Shireb beds (100 miles away from the holotype locality) of Inner Mongolia. These specimens were discovered by Dr Garber in 1930, on an expedition to the Gobi Desert.^[1]

[edit] Palaeobiology

Sarkastodon was a hypercarnivore, with hyaena-like dentition specialised in bone-cracking.^[2][3] The sharp, slicing premolars (which form roughly rectilinear cutting blades)^[4] and crushing molars enabled Sarlastodon to eat both bone and flesh.^[5]

Skull reconstruction of Sarkastodon mongolensis. On left is figure 4 from Granger (1938), while the right is figure 2.

[edit] References

[edit] External links

• PDF of Granger, 1938
• Artistic reconstruction of Sarkastodon, shown waiting for Andrewsarchus to finish eating from a dead brontothere.

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