TAENIODONT

any member of an extinct order (Taeniodonta) of mammals that lived in North America throughout the Paleocene and into the middle Eocene Epoch (66.4 to 43 million years ago). The taeniodonts may have been related to early edentates (insect-eating mammals) and probably evolved from an insectivorous to an herbivorous diet. They were distinguished by high-crowned teeth extending far into the skull. The single known family, Stylinodontidae, consists of two subfamilies, Conoryctinae and Stylinodontinae. The Conoryctinae were rather generalized forms with no special peculiarities, though they did gradually increase in size during the Paleocene from that of an opossum to that of a small bear. The Conoryctinae did not survive the close of the Paleocene Epoch. The Stylinodontinae, by contrast, became progressively more specialized. The stylinodonts culminated in forms with extremely short and broad skulls; deep, massively built lower jaws; rootless teeth; and limbs tipped by very large, long claws that were used for either grasping or digging. The animals' canine teeth were extremely large and specialized for gnawing; claws and teeth together suggest adaptation to a specialized diet, the nature of which remains unknown.