Interatheriidae

Interatheriidae Temporal range: Middle Eocene-Early Pleistocene (Mustersan-Uquian) ~
File:Interatherium FMNH.jpg
Skeleton of Interatherium rodens in the Field Museum of Natural History, Chicago
Scientific classification Edit this classification
Kingdom:	Animalia
Phylum:	Chordata
Class:	Mammalia
Order:	†Notoungulata
Suborder:	†Typotheria
Family:	†Interatheriidae Ameghino 1887
Subfamilies and genera
†Antepithecus †Antofagastia †Guilielmoscottia †Johnbell †Munizia †Punapithecus †Transpithecus †Interatheriinae

Interatheriidae is an extinct family of notoungulate mammals from South America. Interatheriids are known from the Middle Eocene (Mustersan) to the Early Pleistocene (Uquian). These animals were principally small-sized, occupying a habitat like hares, marmots and viscachas. The majority were very small, like rodents.

Interatheriidae is one of the mammal groups that best represent the fauna from the Santa Cruz Formation. Particularly Protypotherium with three species is characteristic of the formation: P. australe, P. praerutilum and P. attenuatum. Another well-known genus is Interatherium, particularly well represented by I. robustum.

References

Bibliography

• McKenna, Malcolm C., and Bell, Susan K. 1997. Classification of Mammals Above the Species Level. Columbia University Press, New York, 631 pp.

Further reading

• C. Villarroel and L. G. Marshall. 1989. A new fossil land mammal locality of late Miocene (Huayquerian) age from Muyu Huasi, southcentral Bolivia. Boletin del Servicio Geológico de Bolivia, Serie A IV(1):27-40