Potamotherium
Sign in to savePotamotherium ('river beast') an extinct genus of caniform carnivoran from the Miocene epoch of France and Germany. It has historically been assigned to the family Mustelidae (otters, weasels, etc.), but more recent studies suggest that it represents a primitive relative of pinnipeds (seals, sea lions, etc.)
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4 sectionsContents
- Classification
- Distribution
- Palaeobiology
- References
Potamotherium ('river beast') an extinct genus of caniform carnivoran from the Miocene epoch of France and Germany. It has historically been assigned to the family Mustelidae (otters, weasels, etc.), but more recent studies suggest that it represents a primitive relative of pinnipeds (seals, sea lions, etc.)
==Classification== thumb|left|Restoration of P. miocenicum The genus was first described in 1833. Carroll (1988) assigned it to the family Mustelidae as a member of the subfamily Oligobuninae. However, it was recently suggested that Potamotherium was not a mustelid at all, but rather a very basal pinniped. Berta et al. (2018) placed Potamotherium along with Puijila and Semantor in the family Semantoridae.