Ancylotherium (from Greek, meaning "hooked beast") is an extinct genus of the family Chalicotheriidae, subfamily Schizotheriinae, endemic to Europe, Asia, and Africa during the Late Miocene-Early Pleistocene (11.6—1.8 mya), existing for approximately 9.8 million years.
[2][3] With some individuals reaching 2 metres (6.6 ft) high at the shoulder and a weight of 450 kilograms (990 lb), Ancylotherium was relatively large, and was built rather like a goat.
This genus is North American and Ancylotherium is likely to be more closely related to other African and European genera, so the feature may have evolved independently in two lineages.
This would suggest it reflects a common behavior in schizotheriine chalicotheres, such as using the head as a battering ram in territorial or dominance contests, as modern giraffes do.
Ancylotherium's closest relatives are the other perissodactyls, or "odd-toed" ungulates, including the extinct brontotheres and modern-day mammals such as horses, tapirs, and rhinoceroses.