TOXODON

genus of extinct mammals of the Late Pliocene and Pleistocene epochs in South America (the Pliocene Epoch preceded the Pleistocene and ended about 1.6 million years ago). The genus is representative of a large group of extinct animals that dominated the South American fauna before the end of the Pleistocene Epoch. A large animal about 2.75 m (9 feet) long and about 1.5 m high at the shoulder, Toxodon resembled a short rhinoceros. The nasal openings, on top of the skull, indicate a large, well-developed snout. The massive skeleton suggests that it supported a large, heavy body. The front, or incisor, teeth were separated from each other by large gaps and from the cheek teeth by even larger gaps. The feet were short and broad and had three functional toes; the major stresses were directed through the axis of the central toe. Toxodon was probably the most common large hoofed mammal in South America during the Pleistocene.