Astrapotherium

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title: "Astrapotherium" type: doc version: 1 created: 2026-02-28 author: "Wikipedia contributors" status: active scope: public tags: ["astrapotheriidae", "miocene-mammals-of-south-america", "colloncuran", "friasian", "santacrucian", "colhuehuapian", "deseadan", "neogene-argentina", "paleogene-argentina", "fossils-of-argentina", "neogene-chile", "fossils-of-chile", "fossil-taxa-described-in-1879", "taxa-named-by-hermann-burmeister", "prehistoric-placental-genera", "golfo-san-jorge-basin", "sarmiento-formation", "austral-or-magallanes-basin", "santa-cruz-formation"] description: "Extinct genus of mammals" topic_path: "geography/argentina" source: "https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Astrapotherium" license: "CC BY-SA 4.0" wikipedia_page_id: 0 wikipedia_revision_id: 0

::summary Extinct genus of mammals ::

| fossil_range = | image = Astrapotherium FMNH.jpg | image_caption = Astrapotherium magnum skeleton, Field Museum of Natural History | taxon = Astrapotherium | authority = Burmeister, 1879 | type_species = Astrapotherium magnum | type_species_authority = Owen, 1853 | subdivision_ranks = Species | subdivision = * A. burmeisteri Mercerat, 1891

• A. guillei Kramarz et al. 2019
• A. magnum Owen, 1853
• A. ruderarium Ameghino, 1902 | synonyms = {{collapsible list|bullets = true |title=Genus synonymy |Listriotherium Mercerat 1891 |Mesembriotherium Moreno 1882 |Xylotherium Mercerat 1891 |title=Synonyms of A. burmeisteri |Astrapotherium giganteum Ameghino, 1891 |Astrapotherium delimitatum Ameghino, 1891 |title=Synonyms of A. magnum |Astrapotherium columnatum Ameghino, 1891 |Astrapotherium nanum Ameghino, 1891 |Astrapotherium karaikense Ameghino, 1904b |Astrapodon carinatus Ameghino, 1891 |title=Synonyms of A. ruderarium |Parastrapotherium paucum Ameghino 1902 |Parastrapotherium crassum (partim) Ameghino 1902 |Astrapothericulus minusculus Ameghino 1902 |Astrapothericulus laevisculus Ameghino 1902 |Astrapotherium triangulidens Ameghino 1902 |Prochalicotherium patagonicum Ameghino 1902

Astrapotherium ("lightning beast") is an extinct genus of large astrapotherian ungulate native to South America during the early-middle Miocene. It is the best known member of the group. The type species. A. magnum have been found in the Santa Cruz Formation in Argentina. Other fossils have been found in the Deseado, Sarmiento, and Aisol Formations of Argentina and Chile (Cura-Mallín Group).

Description

::figure[src="https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/b/b9/Astrapotherium_magnum_NT.jpg" caption="Restoration and size comparison of ''A. magnum''"] ::

Astrapotherium had an elongated body, with a total length around 2.5 m, a weight of nearly 1000 kg, and relatively short limbs. Larger estimates suggest its body mass was up to 1600 -. It had small plantigrade feet, and the hind limbs were significantly weaker than the fore limbs. Its four canine teeth were elongated to form short tusks, and it had broad, protruding lower incisors, which likely ground against a horny pad in the upper jaw, as in many modern ruminants. ::figure[src="https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/d/d6/Astrapotherium_magnum_Skull.jpg" caption="Skull of ''Astrapotherium magnum''"] ::

Astrapotherium has been inferred to have had a tapir-like proboscis, based on its retracted narials and short upper jaw.

Classification

Cladogram based in the phylogenetic analysis published by Vallejo-Pareja et al., 2015, showing the position of Astrapotherium:

|1=Eoastrapostylops |2={{clade |1=Trigonostylops |2={{clade |1=Tetragonostylops |2={{clade |1=Albertogaudrya |2={{clade |1=Scaglia |2={{clade |1=Astraponotus |2={{clade |1=Maddenia |2={{clade |1=Comahuetherium |2={{clade |1=Parastrapotherium |2={{clade |label1=Astrapotheriinae |1={{clade |1=Astrapotherium |2=Astrapothericulus }} |label2=Uruguaytheriinae |2={{clade |1=Uruguaytherium |2={{clade |1={{clade |1=Hilarcotherium |2=Xenastrapotherium }} |2=Granastrapotherium }} }} }} }} }} }} }} }} }} }} }} }}

Paleobiology

The animal was probably at least partially aquatic, living in shallow water in a similar manner to a modern hippopotamus.

References

References

1. (2019). "''Astrapotherium'' from the Middle Miocene Collón Cura Formation and the decline of astrapotheres in southern South America". Ameghiniana.
2. [https://paleobiodb.org/classic/checkTaxonInfo?taxon_no=43462 ''Astrapotherium''] at [[Fossilworks]].org
3. (1999). "The Marshall Illustrated Encyclopedia of Dinosaurs and Prehistoric Animals". Marshall Editions.
4. (2011). "A new early Miocene astrapotheriid (Mammalia, Astrapotheria) from Northern Patagonia, Argentina". [[Ameghiniana]].
5. (March 2013). "Structural and functional comparison of the proboscis between tapirs and other extant and extinct vertebrates". Integrative Zoology.
6. (January 2015). "''Hilarcotherium castanedaii'', gen. et sp. nov., a new Miocene astrapothere (Mammalia, Astrapotheriidae) from the Upper Magdalena Valley, Colombia". [[Journal of Vertebrate Paleontology]].

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