Tillodon fodiens

Overview

Tillodon fodiens is a tillodont mammal known from middle Eocene fossils in Wyoming. Skulls and lower jaws provide important research material. Its ancient names and head structure can be explored together.^[1]

Key facts

The name Tillotherium fodiens also appears in specimen catalogues. Following material of the same animal can lead to a genus name different from the one used today. A specimen’s identification history provides clues to changing names.^[2]

Time and place

It is presented through middle Eocene fossils from Wyoming, USA. The Eocene as a whole spans roughly 56–34 million years ago. Specimen records assigned to the Bridgerian and fossil research provide regional and temporal context.^[1][3]

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

Size, form and skeleton

Researchers compared skulls, lower jaws, and some skeletal fragments. Bones forming the upper and lower portions of the head can be examined separately. Records of different regions provide evidence for the body of Tillodon.^[1]

A study estimated a body mass of approximately 50 kg. This offers a whole-body sense of the mammal otherwise encountered through skull and jaw fragments.^[6]

Habitat and reproduction

What can an ancient mammal’s jaw reveal about its body? Comparing the skull and lower jaw of Tillodon together helps explain head construction. This research starts with questions about preserved parts rather than an impression of the whole body.^[1]

Fossil discovery

Gazin’s 1953 study of Tillodontia described material of T. fodiens. Institutional catalogues also list YPM VP 011087 under Tillotherium fodiens. This illustrates following both literature and collection records.^[1][2]

References

1. Gazin (1953) — A study of tillodont mammals
2. Institutional specimen catalogue — Tillotherium fodiens YPM VP 011087
3. International Commission on Stratigraphy (2024) — Geological time chart
4. Turnbull2004 — Taeniodonta of the Washakie Formation, Southwestern Wyoming
5. Gazin (1953) — A study of tillodont mammals
6. Smits (2017), Remodeling the Fossil Record: Analysis of Emergent Evolutionary and Ecological Patterns

Research questions

How can fossils recorded under old genus names be located? Species epithets, specimen numbers, and identification histories can be compared together. Tillodon raises questions about maintaining connections among records as names change.^[2]

Observation

First examine the connection between the skull and lower jaw. Reading old names in specimen catalogues as well offers different perspectives on fossil form and taxonomic records.^[1][2]