Fun Macrauchenia Facts For Kids

Macrauchenia (Macrauchenia patachonica) is an ancient mammal species from South America whose fossils are found in places such as southeastern Pampas and Venezuela. The fossils of this South American species were first found by Charles Darwin in 1838 and were then investigated by Richard Owen.

The main characteristics of this large animal includes a camel-like body, small legs, and long neck. They also had a trunk as is suggested by the high placement of nostrils on the fossil skull. The size of the trunk, however, is not known.

These South American herbivores lived on earth from the Miocene age until the Pleistocene age, and are said to have become Extinct around 10,000 years ago. They were around just after the extinction of land dinosaurs and became Extinct towards the end of the Ice Age.

. While the reason for the extinction of Macrauchenia patachonica is not known, it is assumed that they were either hunted by early humans, eaten by a huge number of predators, or were out-smarted by other herbivorous species.

These animals are also known to be close relatives of certain animals such as horses and bear a familial relation to camels whose appearance they so closely mimic.

For more relatable content, check out these llama facts and woolly mammoth facts for kids.

Macrauchenia Interesting Facts

What type of animal is a Macrauchenia?

The Macrauchenia, in terms of appearance, was a cross between a camel, zebra, and elephant.

What class of animal does a Macrauchenia belong to?

The class that Macrauchenia is associated with is the class of Mammals, or in more defined terms, ungulate mammals.

How many Macrauchenias are there in the world?

Since they are an Extinct species, there are no living Macrauchenias in the world. However, fossils of this animal continue to be discovered.

Where does a Macrauchenia live?

The fossil remains of the Macrauchenia are found in parts of South America.

What is a Macrauchenia's habitat?

The Macrauchenia habitat is said to have been limited to the forests that were aplenty during the ancient years.

Who do Macrauchenias live with?

This species is thought to be peaceful, like most herbivores. This suggests that they thrived and moved around in groups.

How long does a Macrauchenia live?

While the lifespan of the Macrauchenia species is not known, it is assumed that since they are a close relative to horses, their lifespan must have been of around 30 years.

How do they reproduce?

The reproduction pattern of this animal species is not known, given the small amount of information that can be gathered from fossils. However, since they are mammals, a female Macrauchenia gave birth to off-springs, similar to humans.

What is their conservation status?

According to the IUCN, the Macrauchenia (Macrauchenia patachonica) is an Extinct South American animal that lived 7 million years ago. Their existence is said to have been recorded through fossils from the Miocene to Pleistocene age.

Macrauchenia Fun Facts

What do Macrauchenias look like?

Macrauchenias were a species of camel-like animals with short, strong legs, and a long neck. Their giraffe-like neck allowed them to reach the foliage of tall trees.

In addition to this, this large animal species is also said to have a nose high up on the skull which suggests that it might have had an elephant-like trunk. Since these soft tissues degrade easily, there is not much evidence about the length of the trunk.

The Macrauchenia's head is also way smaller in proportion to the rest of its body. They had hooves much like their relative species.

It is also interesting to note that they are closely related to horses, the Indian rhinoceros and tapirs.

How cute are they?

It is safe to safe that the Macrauchenia is a very cute species. Their features are unique and their small heads paint a very pretty picture and make us wish there was more than just the Macrauchenia skeleton to look at.

How do they communicate?

It is assumed that the Macrauchenia species must have had a loud call given the suspected trunk. While we cannot assume the exact nature of the call, it is easy enough to imagine a unique situation where a camel-like animal would have an elephant-like call.

How big is a Macrauchenia?

The Macrauchenia was a large animal which is evident from the size of the completed fossil remains. They are said to have reached a length of about 9.8 ft (3 m), and most of this length came from the neck.

How fast can a Macrauchenia run?

There are no studies which can tell us the exact speed at which this mammal could run. However, since they are said to have been equipped to live until the end of the Pleistocene age, it is safe to assume that these litopterns could run at quite a fast pace.

How much does a Macrauchenia weigh?

The weight of these animals is estimated to be a staggering 2299 lb (1042.8 kg).

What are the male and female names of the species?

There are no distinct male and female names for the animals of this species which means that we can refer to them as a male Macrauchenia and a female Macrauchenia.

What would you call a baby Macrauchenia?

Archaeologists have not yet coined a term for the juvenile of the Macrauchenia species. We can call them a baby or offspring. Although, since they are closely related to horses, calling them calves might also be a good option.

What do they eat?

The Macrauchenia species is understood to be herbivorous which means that they feed on tiny plants and the foliage of any tall tree. While a Macrauchenia had small legs, its long neck and trunk allowed it and its group of litopterns to reach the tall trees that were abundant millions of years ago.

Are they poisonous?

There are no records that would suggest that this species from South America was poisonous in any way. The fact that they were also preyed upon by predators also suggests that they were very friendly and not at all harmful in any way.

Would they make a good pet?

If you ask us, even if the Macrauchenia species were not extinct, it would not be a great idea to have one as a pet given their huge size and the subsequent space that they would require to be domesticated in.

Did you know...

The Macrauchenia skull is way smaller in proportion to its body.

The mouth of these animals from South America were like that of a tapir and were built in a way that would facilitate reaching the foliage of any tall tree.

The fossils of the Macrauchenia were first found by Charles Darwin and later investigated by Richard Owen.

Why did the Macrauchenia become extinct?

The exact reason behind the extinction of this mammal species is not known, however, there are a few possible reasons. They could either been out-competed by other herbivores, faced with a lot of attacks from predators, or been hunted by the humans of that age.

Where were the Macrauchenia's fossils found?

Macrauchenia fossils were found in places in South America such as south-eastern Pampas and Venezuela.

Here at Kidadl, we have carefully created lots of interesting family-friendly animal facts for everyone to discover! Learn more about some other mammals from our Sumatran elephant facts and woolly bear facts  pages.

You can even occupy yourself at home by coloring in one of our free printable Macrauchenia coloring pages.