Daeodon

in Nebraska. See text for nomenclature history Daeodon is an extinct genus of entelodont even-toed ungulates that inhabited North America about 29 to 19 million years ago from the Early Oligocene to late Early Miocene, making it the last known entelodont. The type species is Daeodon shoshonensis, described from a very fragmentary holotype by Cope. Some authors synonymize it with Dinohyus hollandi and several other species (see below), but due to the lack of diagnostic material, this may be questionable. Another large member of this family, possibly larger than Daeodon, is the Asian Paraentelodon, but it is known by very incomplete material.

in Nebraska. See text for nomenclature history]] Daeodon is an extinct genus of entelodont even-toed ungulates that inhabited North America about 29 to 19 million years ago from the Early Oligocene to late Early Miocene, making it the last known entelodont. The type species is Daeodon shoshonensis, described from a very fragmentary holotype by Cope. Some authors synonymize it with Dinohyus hollandi and several other species (see below), but due to the lack of diagnostic material, this may be questionable. Another large member of this family, possibly larger than Daeodon, is the Asian Paraentelodon, but it is known by very incomplete material. ===Diet=== Daeodon was omnivorous like all other entelodonts. Enamel patterns suggest eating of nuts, roots, and vines, as well as meat and bones. The superficial similarity to peccaries, hippos, and bears implies a wide range in terms of what plants Daeodon may have been eating. The dry seasons of North America at the time could get very harsh, so they may have supplemented their water intake by eating grape vines. The extent of its carnivory is debated, but tooth wear suggests they specialized in crushing bone and ripping meat, and bite marks on chalicothere bones suggest they either hunted or scavenged large herbivores. Foss (2001) argues its head was far too heavy to be effective in taking down large prey so it must have relied exclusively on scavenging, but its bison-like adaptations for running, the stereoscopic vision characteristic of predators, and evidence of predation in entelodonts calls this interpretation into question. The uncertainty of their diets suggests they were likely opportunistic omnivores similar to bears, eating whatever they needed depending on the circumstance. ===Behavior=== Entelodonts partook in intraspecific face biting, known from tooth marks on their skulls. Males would fight for dominance, possibly using their mandibular tubercles as protection in addition to their function as muscle attachments. Sexual dimorphism of the jugal protections exist in Archaeotherium, and with a smaller Daeodon sample size, such dimorphism can't be ruled out for Daeodon. If dimorphic, the function of the expanded jugals was likely for display, supporting large preorbital glands similar to those forest hogs possessed for chemical communication.

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