Eosiren

Eosiren is an extinct genus of sea cow that lived during the Late Eocene (later Priabonian) to Early Oligocene (Rupelian).[1] Several fossils have been found in Egypt. It seems like the species E. abeli were contemporaneous with Protosiren and Eotheroides.[1] like them, Eosiren closely resembled modern sirenians. It differs from them by having somewhat larger innominates and possess thigh bones.[1]

Eosiren
Temporal range: Late Eocene-Oligocene
Skull of E. libyca .
Scientific classification
Kingdom:
Animalia
Phylum:
Chordata
Class:
Mammalia
Order:
Sirenia
Family:
Dugongidae
Subfamily:
†Halitheriinae
Genus:
Eosiren

Andrews, 1902
Species
  • E. abeli
  • E. imenti
  • E. libyca
  • E. stromeri
Drawing of skeleton.
E. libyca and an extant manatee by Charles R. Knight, 1907
Size of Eosiren (purple) compared to other Eocene sirenians and a human.

Eosiren was first described by vertebrage paleontologist Charles William Andrews in 1902, who distinguished it from the genus Halitherium due to differences in the teeth and mandible.[2] Later that year, Science published a summary of his findings in a collection on advances in zoopaleontology.[3]

References
  1. Zalmout I.S. & Gingerich P.D. (2012), “Late Eocene sea cows (Mammalia, Sirenia) from Wadi al Hitan in the western desert of Fayum, Egypt”, University of Michigan Papers on Paleontology No. 37
  2. Andrews, C. W. (1902). "II.—Preliminary Note on some Recently Discovered Extinct Vertebrates from Egypt. (Part III.)". Geological Magazine. 9 (7): 291–295. doi:10.1017/S0016756800181178. S2CID 248538038.
  3. Osborn, H. F. (31 October 1902). "Recent Zoopaleontology". Science. 16 (409): 749–752. doi:10.1126/science.16.410.749. JSTOR 1628916. PMID 17776565. Retrieved 27 January 2021.


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