Xenastrapotherium

See text Xenastrapotherium is an extinct genus of astrapothere, a type of hoofed herbivorous mammal, native to South America, which lived in the Middle to Late Miocene period, typically during the Laventan stage.

Xenastrapotherium (named after the Greek word xenos "strange" add to the genus Astrapotherium, "lightning beast") was a genus widely distributed in northern South America, in contrast to other species of astrapotheres which lived in the area of the Southern Cone of the continent.

It differed from other astrapotheres by having two lower incisors on each side of the jaw and the tusks have a pronounced longitudinal curvature, although their general shape and size are probably very similar to Astrapotherium, whose weight would be 900 to 1,500 kilograms, comparable to the current black rhinoceros.

[3] Several species of Xenastrapotherium have been described, although none is known from complete remains; they are distinguished by features of their teeth and jaws, and their geographical and temporal distribution.

The species currently recognized are: Cladogram based in the phylogenetic analysis published by Vallejo Pareja et al., 2015, showing the position of Xenastrapotherium:[10] Eoastrapostylops Trigonostylops Tetragonostylops Albertogaudrya Scaglia Astraponotus Maddenia Comahuetherium Parastrapotherium Astrapotherium Astrapothericulus Uruguaytherium Hilarcotherium Xenastrapotherium Granastrapotherium Fossils of Xenastrapotherium have been found in:[2]