Merycopotamus

Merycopotamus Temporal range: Middle Miocene–Late Pliocene PreЄ Є O S D C P T J K Pg N
Scientific classification
Kingdom:	Animalia
Phylum:	Chordata
Class:	Mammalia
Order:	Artiodactyla
Family:	†Anthracotheriidae
Subfamily:	†Bothriodontinae
Genus:	†Merycopotamus Falconer & Cautley, 1847
Type species
†Merycopotamus dissimilis
Species
†M. dissimilis †M. medioximus †M. nanus †M. thachangensis

Merycopotamus is an extinct genus of Asian anthracothere that appeared during the Middle Miocene, and died out in the Late Pliocene. At the height of the genus' influence, species ranged throughout southern Asia. With the extinction of the last species, M. dissimilis, the lineage of anthracotheres came to an end. Merycopotamus was closely related to the anthracothere genus Libycosaurus, which, unlike the former, never left Africa. In fact, some African fossils originally placed in Merycopotamus, but are now referred to Libycosaurus.