Middle School
Worksheets
Andrewsarchus: Largest Mammalian Carnivore Ever?
About forty-five million years ago, a primitive, carnivorous mammal roamed the Earth. It was a hoofed mammal (ungulate) that lived during the late Eocene epoch. This animal was believed to be the largest predatory ungulate that ever lived.
A fossilized giant three-foot skull of this animal was found in Mongolia in 1923. The fossils led scientists to believe it was a wolf-like animal that was heavily built. It had large sharp teeth in front and flat cheek teeth that were used to crush bones. More recently, scientists have come to believe that this animal was more closely related to modern pigs and hippos. They estimate its size to have been about six feet tall and twelve feet long.
