Page 15 - Prehistoric Animals

Andru-sa-rkus

Andrewsarchus

Andrewsarchus mongoliensis, (Andrews ruler) is
an extinct mammal, that roamed the planet about 36 to
45 million years ago. A huge scull, found in China, is the
only evidence that Andrewsarchus mongoliensis ever
existed.

In 1924, Henry Fairfield Osborn, named it, then
later set about trying to work out what kind of animal
the scull belonged to. He did this by comparing the scull
to other known mammals with similar sculls. His con-
clusions were; the animals size must have been around
3 to 4 metres in length and 1 to 2 metres in height. He
then went on to describe the scull as belonging to the
‘Largest terrestrial, carnivorous mammal’.

Others disagreed with him, and over the
years, using the scull or particular parts of it, like the
teeth and the sculls pointed shape, compared it to like
mammals. This has produced a variety of suggested
shapes and sizes for Andrewsarchus mongoliensis.

Whatever the truth is about this extinct
mammal (we can’t even say whether it was a hunter or
scavenger) one thing is very obvious. The size of the
scull and the teeth it displays strongly suggest that An-
drewsarchus mongoliensis was a very formidable ani-
mal in its day