Agriotherium schneideri from the Hemphillian of Central Mexico

A well-preserved upper and lower dentition of Agriotherium schneideri from the late Tertiary of Guanajuato, Mexico, permits a better understanding of this poorly known bear. Other North American species have been assigned to this genus, but only A. schneideri is here considered valid. Despite scant...

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Bibliographic Details
Published in:Journal of mammalogy 1996-05, Vol.77 (2), p.568-577
Main Authors: Miller, Wade E., Carranza-Castañeda, Oscar
Format: Article
Language:English
Subjects:
Animal migration
Animal populations
Bears
Canines
Dentition
Earth sciences
Earth, ocean, space
Exact sciences and technology
Fauna
Fossils
Genera
Geology
Jaw
Maxilla
Paleontology
Stratigraphy
Teeth
Vertebrate paleontology
Citations: Items that cite this one
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Description
Summary:A well-preserved upper and lower dentition of Agriotherium schneideri from the late Tertiary of Guanajuato, Mexico, permits a better understanding of this poorly known bear. Other North American species have been assigned to this genus, but only A. schneideri is here considered valid. Despite scant material, it appears that this ursid displayed a wide range of variability in its dentition. Paucity of specimens indicates that Agriotherium and its contemporary, Indarctos, were less common in the New World than in the Old World. True carnassials and massive, potentially bone-crushing cheekteeth imply that both genera were active predator-scavengers rather than more passive omnivores with a mostly herbivorous diet. The brief geologic time range of Agriotherium in North America makes it a useful biochronologic marker, albeit on a limited basis due to scarcity of specimens.
ISSN:0022-2372
1545-1542
1545-1542
0022-2372
DOI:10.2307/1382830