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The Hoofed Predators
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Relating to Andrewsarchus, its prey range/skull usage seems to be very unlimited (it dug roots and tubers, killed large and slow embolodonts and elephant-like creatures, and pierced hard shells of various ocean creatures):
The exact diet of Andrewsarchus has also been questioned as the previous older apex predator theories don’t carry as much weight as they used to. Although the jaws would have had tremendously powerful muscles (as indicated by the size of the cheek bones), most of the teeth in the mouth are not particularly well adapted for any one purpose. The forward canines are the largest and are most useful for getting a grip on things, or perhaps in the case of a carnivore to deliver a killing bite such as puncturing the cranium of a prey animal. Because the type specimen skull was found in what would have been a coastal environment during the Eocene, Andrewsarchus has been presented as a beach comber. Here Andrewsarchus may have had a durophagus diet that means it ate shellfish that it dug out with its forward teeth, although it may have included animals like turtles as well as washed up carrion. However while this skull proves that Andrewsarchus was active in coastal areas, it would be a mistake to assume that it was limited to them without the evidence of further remains. Aside from the skull being similar in form this has also led to some claiming that the behaviour of Andrewsarchus was similar to what has been proposed for enteledonts. This would see Andrewsarchus living the life of an opportunistic omnivore, as while Andrewsarchus is on paper capable of killing its own prey, it may have scavenged carcasses as well as driven off other predators from their kills. The forward teeth could also have been capable of digging up plant tubers that Andrewsarchus could have then eaten. Since Andrewsarchus had a large skull it would need strong neck muscles to provide ample support. Although we still do not know for certain, it’s possible that the anterior dorsal vertebrae had enlarged neural spines (bony projections that rise upwards from the individual vertebra) that provided increased areas for muscle attachment. This is similar to how some other creatures with large skulls such as enteledonts supported their heads. If true then Andrewsarchus would in life have powerful powerfully built fore quarters which may have given rise to a small hump above its shoulders from the increased muscle mass from this area. More on Andrewsarchus. Judging from the skull's features, an average Andrewsarchus could graze grass like a hippo, slice/dice like a feline, scavenge like a bear, and bluntly bite like a mesonychid. It was a very adaptable creature in terms of food depletion, and I think it's safe to say that this creature was an omnivore as well, but the problem was its size. The early Eocene in Pakistan/Southern Gobi had its fair share of gas (specifically, carbon monoxide) lakes and major floodways unlike most other parts of the world at the time, so it wasn't a great surprise when the bigger and less maneuverable animals were wiped out due to these two factors. The most adaptable creatures in those areas were the primates and early whales. The primates could reach such high altitudes in the trees (since none were bigger than a meter and a half in Pakistan at the early Eocene period) to escape the dense monoxide gases bursting out of lakes and the floods as well. The early whales, with the exception of Pakicetus, would already swam their way out of the floodways and into the ocean, evolving into the array of cetaceans we see today. Andrewsarchus would've been comparable to a super-sized polar bear with large forequarters and neck and a muscular back. If put in today's environment, albeit at a much smaller size (~200 kg maximum), then I would put a grand bet on it to be thriving within areas with little carnivore competition, human defense, and a grand supply of large prey such as the Himalayas, Bengaladesh, and the Washington coast. |
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