Chalicotherium
| Chalicotherium Temporal range: Middle to Late Miocene, | |
|---|---|
| Teeth of C. goldfussi | |
| Scientific classification | |
| Domain: | Eukaryota |
| Kingdom: | Animalia |
| Phylum: | Chordata |
| Class: | Mammalia |
| Order: | Perissodactyla |
| Family: | †Chalicotheriidae |
| Subfamily: | †Chalicotheriinae |
| Genus: | †Chalicotherium Kaup, 1833 |
| Type species | |
| †Chalicotherium goldfussi Kaup, 1833 | |
| Species | |
| Synonyms | |
| |
Chalicotherium, from Ancient Greek χάλιξ (khálix), meaning "gravel", and θηρίον (theríon), meaning "beast", is a genus of extinct odd-toed ungulates of the order Perissodactyla and family Chalicotheriidae. The genus is known from Europe and Asia, from the Middle Miocene to Late Miocene, 15.9~5.3 million years ago.
This animal would look much like other chalicotheriid species: an odd-looking herbivore with long clawed forelimbs and stouter weight-bearing hindlimbs.
The type species, Chalicotherium goldfussi, from Late Miocene Europe, was described by Johann Jakob Kaup in 1833. When the French naturalist George Cuvier first received a cleft claw from Eppelheim, Germany, he identified it as the toe bone of a gigantic pangolin.