Epigaulus hatcheri

Overview

Epigaulus hatcheri is a fossil rodent known for horns at the rear of the nasal bones and powerful forefeet. The nearly complete skeleton USNM5485 reveals its body arrangement. We can examine distinctive head structures alongside differences between front and rear feet.^[1]

Key facts

The forefeet are described as strong, with long, flattened claws. In contrast, the hind feet are described as long and slender. The front and rear feet of the same animal show different arrangements.^[1]

Time and place

The 1907 description treated Miocene material from present-day Kansas. Recorded fossil-bearing strata are summarized as spanning approximately 12–4.7 million years ago, from the Miocene into the Pliocene. Skeletal form can be explored alongside the age record.^[1][2]

The time range describes source context, not the complete duration of this species.

Size, form and skeleton

The description of USNM5485 explains horns at the rear of the nasal bones and a broad occipital region. The forefeet are strong with long, flattened claws, while the hind feet are long and slender. Different features occur across the head, forelimbs, and hindlimbs.^[1]

The type specimen of Epigaulus hatcheri has a skull 8 cm long. This rodent, also treated in research as Ceratogaulus hatcheri, had two bony horns above its nose. The horn cores of the same specimen are 3.2 cm tall, conspicuous structures above a small head.^[3]

Habitat and reproduction

What functional questions arise from powerful forefeet and long claws? Comparing forefoot form alongside the hind feet raises several questions about how the body was used. Observation begins with contrasts within one body.^[1]

Fossil discovery

In 1907, Gidley described a new horned rodent from the Miocene of Kansas. The nearly complete skeleton USNM5485 conveys information about the head and front and rear feet. The study examined several body regions together in one specimen.^[1]

References

1. Gidley (1907) — A new horned rodent from the Miocene of Kansas
2. Paleobiology Database — Age of fossil-bearing strata of Epigaulus
3. Czaplewski (2012) — Comparing Miocene rodents with nasal horns
4. Study — Head and teeth of Eucastor from Nebraska

Research questions

From which bones of the head did the horns rise? In Epigaulus, they are described as structures at the rear of the nasal bones. Even a conspicuous large projection raises questions for comparison with other animals’ horns when its connections are examined.^[1]

Observation

Move your gaze from the horns at the rear of the nasal bones to the broad back of the skull. Then compare the powerful forefeet with the long, slender hind feet to reveal differences across the head and limbs.^[1]