Ticholeptus is an extinct genus of oreodont endemic to North America during the Middle Miocene subepoch (16.0—13.6 mya), existing for approximately 2.4 million years.[1] Fossils have been uncovered throughout the United States from Florida to Oregon, as well as California, and numerous sites in Nebraska, Nevada, and Montana.
| Ticholeptus Temporal range: | |
|---|---|
 | |
| Ticholeptus petersoni | |
Scientific classification  | |
| Kingdom: | Animalia |
| Phylum: | Chordata |
| Class: | Mammalia |
| Infraclass: | Placentalia |
| Order: | Artiodactyla |
| Family: | †Merycoidodontidae |
| Genus: | †Ticholeptus Cope 1878 |
| Species | |
|
Ticholeptus zygomaticus | |
Palaeoecology
editThe dental mesowear of Ticholeptus shows that it was a mixed feeder or grazer and that it had one of the most texturally abrasive diets of any oreodont taxon.[2]
References
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Wikimedia Commons has media related to Ticholeptus.
- ↑ Ticholeptus at fossilworks
- ↑ Mihlbachler, Matthew C.; Solounias, Nikos (18 March 2006). "Coevolution of Tooth Crown Height and Diet in Oreodonts (Merycoidodontidae, Artiodactyla) Examined with Phylogenetically Independent Contrasts". Journal of Mammalian Evolution. 13 (1): 11–36. doi:10.1007/s10914-005-9001-3. ISSN 1064-7554. Retrieved 20 September 2025 – via Springer Nature Link.
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