Chalicotheriidae

Lore & Background

The history of chalicothere research began in the early nineteenth century with the discovery of ungual phalanges near Eppelsheim in Germany. In 1822, Georges Cuvier interpreted these unusual claw bones as belonging to a gigantic pangolin. Johann Jakob Kaup later described chalicothere teeth from the same locality as the new genus Chalicotherium in 1833, but did not recognise that the teeth and claws belonged to the same kind of animal. The Miocene locality of Sansan in southern France played a central role in clarifying the nature of chalicotheres, with fossils including postcranial remains named Macrotherium by Édouard Lartet in 1837 and cranial remains later referred by de Blainville to Anoplotherium in the 1840s. It was only after the discovery and description of a more complete skeleton by Henri Filhol in 1890 that the skull, teeth and unusual limb bones were firmly recognised as belonging to the same animal.

Reader's Guide

Chalicotheriidae are significant as an extinct lineage of perissodactyls that evolved a unique browsing strategy using large claws rather than hooves. The family is divided into two subfamilies, Chalicotheriinae and Schizotheriinae, which differed in skull, teeth and limbs. Chalicotheriines generally had much longer forelimbs than hindlimbs and are usually interpreted as more specialised browsers of wooded habitats, whereas schizotheriines had more even limb proportions and appear to have occupied a broader range of environments. Derived schizotheriines also developed the distinctive fused phalanges known as the duplex bone. Microwear and mesowear studies indicate that chalicotheriids were browsers rather than grazers, feeding mainly on leaves and also on tougher plant foods such as bark, twigs, and in some taxa fruit or other hard items. Their unusual claws are generally interpreted as part of a specialised browsing adaptation rather than evidence of a primarily digging lifestyle. The family's complicated nomenclature and the difficulty early palaeontologists had in reconstructing these animals highlight the challenges of interpreting fossil mammals with no close living analogues.

Did You Know?

• The name Chalicotheriidae comes from Ancient Greek χάλιξ (khálix), meaning 'gravel', and θηρίον (theríon), meaning 'beast'.
• Chalicotheres bore large claws on their hands rather than hooves, unlike living odd-toed ungulates.
• Derived schizotheriines developed a distinctive fused phalanx known as the duplex bone.
• Early researchers, including Georges Cuvier, initially interpreted chalicothere claw bones as belonging to a gigantic pangolin.