Juxia

Juxia ('joo-she-a'; from ) is an extinct genus of paraceratheriid, a group of herbivorous mammals that are related to the modern rhinoceros, that lived in Asia during the upper Eocene. The type species is J. sharamurenensis, named by Zhou Mingzhen and in 1964. thumb|left|Skull and neck of a mounted specimen of Juxia sharamurenensis, Paleozoological Museum of China As an early paraceratheriid, Juxia was a relatively small animal, around the size of a horse, compared to its later relatives, with a body mass estimated at or , held by elongated long legs and small skull firmly attached to a relatively long neck. Based on its triangular-like teeth and sharp protruding incisors, Juxia was probably a strict browser, feeding on ferns and leaves on branches where most herbivorous mammals could not reach. In terms of habitat, Juxia lived in densely lush and tropical forests of what is now China and India. Though a few skeletons have been found, it is unclear whether this animal was permanently solitary or lived in small social groups, possibly harems. Based on its morphology, its long legs probably enabled it to run relatively fast for limited duration. This was probably a defense mechanism against early mammalian predators.

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