This interesting animal belonged to a unique group of herbivorous mammals known as the pantodonts. Pantodonts were the largest land animals back in the Paleocene that rose to prominence after the dinosaurs and other large reptiles disappeared in the previous geologic period. They lived primarily in North America, but fossils of this group of mammals have been found in South America, Antarctica, and Europe.
Description — What Did Barylambda Look Like?
As mentioned, this herbivore looked like a cross between a bear and a woodchuck. It was heavily built like a bear but had a small head like a groundhog’s. Another way to describe this animal is that it looked like a large sloth walking on land. It was around the same size as a pony, standing about five feet tall at the shoulders. This animal weighed more than 1,400 pounds and reached up to eight feet two inches in length. Even for a pantodont, Barylambda was quite massive, and it was significantly bigger than other land mammals that lived at the time. In fact, the Barylambda was one of the largest animals that lived after the dinosaurs disappeared — filling the vacant niche left behind by the Jurassic beasts. As was the case with other pantodonts, Barylambda had four five-toed heavyset feet. It had a plantigrade stance, which means it walked with all its toes and metatarsals flat on the ground. They also had collarbones or clavicles, which experts consider a primitive feature in hoofed animals. Another distinctive feature of this animal was its massive tail. The tail vertebrae were massive and quite muscular as well. Experts think this mammal could raise the front end of its body like a bear while supporting itself on its hind legs and muscular tail, similar to modern kangaroos.
The Rise of the Pantodonts
The dinosaurs were the stars of the Mesozoic Era. They were the most dominant group of land animals between 66 and 245million years ago. However, they weren’t the only land animals around. In fact, the earliest mammals came on the scene as early as 210 million years ago. For many years, they lived in the shadows of the much larger dinosaurs. That ended when the Cretaceous extinction event wiped out the non-avian dinosaurs. Out of the ashes of their extinction rose new groups of land animals to fill their niche. In the absence of large predators, the relatively small and shrew-like mammals could grow to bigger sizes. Pantodonts, like the Barylambda, arose around this time. They survived the Cretaceous extinction event and evolved into bigger sizes. Barylambda was among the largest of them, along with others like the primitive Bemalambda and the more advanced Corpyphodon that would eventually displace it.
Where Did Barylambda Live?
Barylambda emerged during the Paleocene Epoch of the Paleogene Period. They existed for only about three million years (55.8 – 58.7 million years ago). Fossils of this 1440-pound herbivore have been found mainly in North America, indicating that they dominated this region during their existence. The catastrophic event that ended the Cretaceous Period disrupted the earth’s climatic conditions. Experts think global temperatures were high during the Paleogene Period when this animal was alive. This fact is corroborated by several studies exploring the nature of some of the formations where fossils of Barylambda have been found. However, it’s not certain yet what their home habitat looked like. There’s a possibility that Barylambda lived in swampy coastal areas and walked on tidal flats that were either partially emerged or fully submerged. Paleontologists have found foot tracks that belonged to this animal in marine deposits.
Barylambda Diet
One would think that a large quadrupedal animal with a heavy build would easily pass as an apex predator, especially because it was the largest animal at the time. However, this wasn’t the case. Fossil records show that the detention of this animal would have made a carnivorous diet impossible. After studying the degree of grinding and wear on their teeth, scientists concluded that this animal was a herbivore that fed on soft plants that they could chew easily. Although they looked like bears, their feeding habit was more similar to that of the Hippopotamus. Barylambda was a generalist browser. The fact that it could stand on its hind feet to reach the top of trees would also mean that tree foliage was on its menu. This ability would have also favored them in environments with limited food. They could reach higher to gain access to vegetation out of reach of other herbivores. This could probably explain why this pantodont grew bigger than other animals that lived after the dinosaurs.
Why Did They Die Out?
Despite their unique feeding adaptation, this 1,400-pound herbivore was not specialized enough to compete in its habitat. Although scientists are not sure of the exact reasons why Barylambda became extinct or why they lived for such a very short time, there are speculations that the demise of this genus in the Late Paleocene is associated with the emergence of larger pantodonts. This was probably the Coryphodon, a bigger and better-adapted herbivore. Their emergence during this period may have increased the competition for food for Barylambda and contributed significantly to their eventual demise. Their extinction occurred about 55 million years ago.
Similar Animals
Pantolambda — This was a pantodont mammal that lived in North America and Asia during the Paleocene. They were the first mammals to emerge after the dinosaurs and evolve into large sizes. They’re believed to have evolved into heavy animals like Coryphodon and Barylambda. Titanoides — This is another bear-like animal that lived in North America around the same time as the Barylambda. They were significantly smaller (weighing 330 pounds) but were just as long. Tianoides lived in tropical swamplands and were also herbivores.Hypercoryphodon — This extinct pantodont genus lived during the Late Eocene and was about the size of a rhinoceros. It has some similarities to the Coryphodon, which it evolved from. This four-footed, hippopotamus-like herbivore adapted its feeding to different situations. It’s believed to have lived in forest and wetland ecosystems with other herbivores like dinoceratans.
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