Embrithopoda
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| Embrithopoda Fossil range: Late Eocene - Early Oligocene |
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Embrithopoda is an extinct order of mammals which first appeared in the fossil record during the late Eocene and then died out during the Oligocene, 35+ million to 23 million years before the present.
Embrithopods bore a superficial resemblance to rhinoceroses, except that their horns had bony cores covered in keratinized skin, and were not made of hair. Not all embrithopods possessed horns, either. Despite their appearance, they were related to elephants, not perissodactyls.
The Embrithopoda are seen as close relatives of the Hyracoidea and may be related to Tethytheria. They are currently believed to be part of the clade Afrotheria.
Fossils of Embrithopoda such as Arsinoitherium have been found in Egypt, Mongolia, Turkey and Romania. Until the 1970s only Arsinoitherium itself was known, appearing isolated in the fossil record.
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