| Kubanochoerus Temporal range: Miocene | |
|---|---|
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| An artist's illustration of Kubanochoerus gigas | |
| Scientific classification | |
| Kingdom: | Animalia |
| Phylum: | Chordata |
| Class: | Mammalia |
| Order: | Artiodactyla |
| Family: | Suidae |
| Genus: | †Kubanochoerus Gabunia, 1955 |
| Type species | |
| †Kubanochoerus gigas Gabunia, 1955 | |
| Referred species | |
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Kubanochoerus is an extinct genus of large and long-legged suids from the Miocene of Eurasia.
Taxonomy[]
The genera Libycochoerus and Megalochoerus were once assigned to Kubanochoerus but are now considered distinct based on dental and minor cranial details.
Description[]
The largest species, the aptly named Kubanochoerus gigas, grew to be up 1.2 metres (3.9 ft) at the shoulder, and probably weighed up to 500 kilograms (1,100 lbs) in life. The heads of these pigs were unmistakable, with small eyebrow horns, and a large horn emanating from the forehead of the males. It is speculated that the males used their forehead horns for jousting with each other.
The species Kubanochoerus massai was originally thought to be an African species belonging to this genus, as the first specimen shared the genus' distinctive eyebrow horns. Its lack of a forehead horn lead experts to interpret the skull as belonging to a female. However, recently, Kubanochoerus massai has been split off into its own genus, Libyochoerus (commemorating the fact that it was originally found in Libya.) Some species of the genus Megalochoerus have been also reassigned to Libyochoerus, though, many experts[who?] do not agree with this.