Allodesmus

Allodesmus Temporal range: Miocene PreЄ Є O S D C P T J K Pg N
File:Allodesmus.JPG
Allodesmus sp. skull
Scientific classification
Kingdom:	Animalia
Phylum:	Chordata
Class:	Mammalia
Order:	Carnivora
Superfamily:	Pinnipedia
Family:	Desmatophocidae
Genus:	Allodesmus Kellogg, 1922
Species
A. courseni A. gracilis A. kelloggi A. kernensis A. megallos A. packardi A. sadoensis

File:Skeleton of Allodesmus.jpg

Skeleton of Allodesmus sp. at the National Museum of Nature and Science, Tokyo, Japan.

Allodesmus is an extinct genus of pinniped from the Miocene and related to the genus Desmatophoca. It measured about 8 feet (2.4 m) long and weighed 800 pounds (360 kg). Allodesmus had the specific anatomical features found in modern polygynous pinnipeds: sexual dimorphism, strong canines for fights between bulls and teeth with well-defined growth zones, a result from periodic fasting (in order to defend their harem, males would not take to the sea to feed during the breeding season).

References

• After the Dinosaurs: The Age of Mammals (Life of the Past) by Donald R. Prothero
• Vertebrate Palaeontology by Michael J. Benton
• Functional Morphology in Vertebrate Paleontology by Jeffrey J. Thomason
• Encyclopedia of Marine Mammals, ed. William F. Perrin, Bernd Würsig, J.G.M. Thewissen