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Glite Dictionary
Mesonyx

Mesonyx

1 9.9
A mammal that ate meat and lived about 50 million years ago
  • proper noun
  • Specialized
: Mesonyx
  • The extinct genus Mesonyx was known for its carnivorous diet during the Eocene epoch.

Examples

  • Harpagolestes and Mesonyx appear to be sister taxa, and the most derived of mesonychids (O'Leary & Geisler 1999, Geisler 2001, Thewissen et al. 2007).

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  • Among other taxa, Pachyaena and Sinonyx appear to be successively more basal relative to the Harpagolestes + Mesonyx clade.

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  • Its limbs indicate a cursorial lifestyle: Charles Knight's Mesonyx shown below.

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  • Fossils attributed to Mesonyx have helped scientists understand the evolution of early carnivorous mammals.

  • Researchers are analyzing the anatomical features of Mesonyx to learn more about its lifestyle and habitat.

Surface Forms

Mesonyx main

Etymology

Mesonyx comes from the Greek parts meso- ('middle') and -onyx ('claw'), so it literally means 'middle claw'. Think of a meat-eating fossil with a big middle toe, and that image helps you remember Mesonyx as an extinct carnivorous mammal from the Eocene.