Fun Metamynodon Facts For Kids

Metamynodon is a genus of Amynodont rhinos that lived in North America and Asia from the Late Eocene until the early Aptain. The various organisms had large, semiaquatic adaptations, and they were similar to the modern hippopotamus.

There are two groups: the partially watery Metamynodontini and the tapir-like Cadurcodontini. These organisms are known to live in various parts of the world, with the biggest being in America.

The Megalamynodon is believed to be the ancestor of Metamynodon. Henry Fairfield and William Berryman Scott first described Metamynodon in 1887 based on a skull found in the White River Formation.

Metamynodon bones are abundant in the deposits of South Dakota's Badlands National Park. They have been nicknamed the Metamynodon channels.

In 1981, a large jawbone, which was found in Texas, was described as Mckinneyi. It was larger than that of M. Chadronensis and could have been a transitional phase between the two.

Metamynodons have large canine breeds, which indicates that they had a prehensile lip. Also, their nostrils protruded from the top portion of their snout. They had a poor sense of smell and were located high in the skull.

They had very short legs and large bodies with strong muscles like elephants. They could give birth to one or twin at a time.

For which they had a gestation period of 15 - 18 months. These were 7.8–10.4 ft (2.4–3.2 m) in length and 1.8 t (1800 kg) in weight. Know interesting facts about Palaeosaurus and Ornithosuchus.

Metamynodon Interesting Facts

Was the Metamynodon a dinosaur?

Metamynodon was not a dinosaur but was actually a creature that resembles the current rhinos. These creatures were big as elephants and are the second-largest organisms found on the earth. These hippopotamus-like creatures also called swamp rhinos had big teeth used for fighting and to find food.

As they were truly grazers. Metamynodon was a creature that lived in the same region as the present-day rhinos in the many regions on the planet. These were 7.8–10.4 ft (2.4–3.2 m) in length to the shoulder.

How do you pronounce 'Metamynodon'?

Metamynodon is pronounced as 'may-ta-mai-no-don'. It is of the 'Amynodontidae' family. They have hornless muscles on their body. The fossils were found in different areas of Asia. These were very similar to the rhinoceroses.

What type of prehistoric animal was a Metamynodon?

These creatures were from an early age in history is the fossils of these species states that they were from the late Eocene until the early Aptain. The paleontologists extended their existence to 40 - 58 million years ago.

In which geological period did the Metamynodon live?

The bones of this animal were from the late Eocene to the early Oligocene and M. McKinneyi says that they extended up to 40 - 58 million years ago.

When did the Metamynodon become extinct?

Metamynodon became extinct nearly from the late Eocene to early Oligocene. This genus became extinct a long time ago. The fossils of this creature were found in America partially submerged bones. M. McKinneyi said although the questionable could extend their range to 40 - 58 million years ago.

Where did a Metamynodon live?

These huge body creatures were found in North America and many areas of Asia. They showed many semi-aquatic adaptions having short legs and heavy bodies like Indian Rhinoceroses.

What was a Metamynodon's habitat?

These species are semi-aquatic organisms. They inhabit rocks that were formed from riverbeds of sands and gravels, indicating that these beasts were mostly aquatic by nature. The fossils of this species were found in the White River.

Who did a Metamynodon live with?

The species of Amynodontidae brood were often solitary but occasionally roamed in groups, unlike the black rhinoceros. The female and the baby Metamynodons were found in the group to protect the offspring and company of others.

How long did a Metamynodon live?

The Metamynodon lifespan is unknown. These creatures had a related lifestyle to a hippopotamus and could have a lifespan range of 40-50 years. They lived in the world from the late Eocene to the early Oligocene. These became extinct nearly to the middle from 40 - 58 million years ago by M. McKinneyi.

How did they reproduce?

This hippopotamus-like creature would have had sex and reproduced offspring. Details about reproduction and offspring are, however, not confirmed.

Metamynodon Fun Facts

What did a Metamynodon look like?

Metamynodons were hippopotamus-like creatures that lived in the early ages of history. These were also called swamp rhino. These were the second-largest organisms in the world after the elephant.

These hornless rhinos became vanished due to natural disasters and habitat loss. They had short legs and huge muscular bodies. They were very fast-moving creatures with big tusks found in America and Asia.

How many bones did a Metamynodon have?

Metamynodon is an aquatic rhino that was found near the rivers of Badlands National Park in South Dakota. The jawbones and skull, few fragments of the tail, and other body parts were uncovered off the submerged skull creature which was similar to the modern tapir.

How did they communicate?

The lifestyle of these organisms was related to the rhinoceros, which used to communicate using their sound systems in many ways like squeaks, moos, snorts, growls, and trumpets.

How big was a Metamynodon?

The hippo-like animal was listed as the second-largest creature in the world. These organisms resemble the modern hippopotamus found in the rocks that were formed from river sands and gravels, indicating that these beasts were mostly aquatic by nature.

A fully grown animal of this brood would weigh up to 1.8 t (1800 kg).

They could stand 4.2 ft (1.3 m) to the shoulder and are in between the middle range of 7.8–10.4 ft (2.4–3.2 m) in length. The Indricotherium, another hornless rhino, was about 26 ft (8 m) in size.

How fast could a Metamynodon move?

These are one of the largest animals in the world that could move fast. They had four legs with four toes, for example, the white rhinoceros can move 25-31 mph (40-50 kph).

How much did a Metamynodon weigh?

Metamynodons were the family members of the modern hippopotamus these were the second-largest creatures of the world after elephants, which are now extinct. These mammals weigh 1.8 t (1800 kg). The baby Metamynodons called calves were also very large that is 88-140 lb (39.9-63.5 kg) in weight.

What were the male and female names of the species?

There is no specific description of naming the male and female up to the Miocene epochs. They are called Metamynodon planifrons. These are also known as swamp rhinos.

What would you call a baby Metamynodon?

The baby Metamynodon planifrons are called calves. These submerged calves were very big that is at 88-140 lb (39.9-63.5 kg) weight. And the gestation period of these hippo-like species is 15-16 months as the northern white rhinoceros.

What did they eat?

These large mammals were semi-aquatic purely grazers. They ate grass, plants and sometimes searched for aquatic food using their large tusks. Paraceratheriums usually relied on plants as a main food source.

How aggressive were they?

These hippo-like mammals are the second largest animals in the world after elephants, which resembles the modern rhinos, and they are quite aggressive. These extinct semi-aquatic animals had strong muscles and large tusks that they used for fighting and finding food.

Did you know...

Paraceratherium was evolved from the Asian hyracodonts, which became huge rhinos.

The first Paraceratherium was discovered in 1846, in modern-day Pakistan.

What do you mean by Metamynodon?

Definition of Metamynodon is that this species is a genus of hornless rhinoceros from North America and Asia. It is also known as swamp rhinos.

Was Metamynodon endemic?

No, these mammals are not endemic to a particular place. They are found all over Asia. These rhinoceroses are very commonly found in North America. Metamynodon and its kin were mostly aquatic creatures. Their remains were found in rocks that were formed by river sand and grave. It is not confirmed which climate they lived in.

Here at Kidadl, we have carefully created lots of interesting family-friendly prehistoric animal facts for everyone to discover! For more relatable content, check out these dimetrodon facts or Toxodon fun facts for kids.

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