Sinonyx jiashanensis

Sinonyx jiashanensis: Copyright Kelly Taylor: No unauthorized usage

Sinonyx belonged to a now extinct group of mammals known as Mesonychids. These were hoofed  carnivores and scavengers of the early tertiary. Strangely enough mesonychids were the ancestors of many herbivorous artiodactyl lineages (hoofed mammals) of today. The "hooves" of mesonychids were thick blunt toenails, not useful for much other than getting from point A to point B.
The elongated skull and tooth morphology was thought to put Sinonyx on the evolutionary path that led to whales, because these skull features are very similar in known species of early whales such as Pakicetus and Ambulocetus. But recent studies of DNA and phylogenetic relationships has determined that whales are derived from the extinct Anthracotheres, a group from which Hippos are descended.
  
     Just like a birds beak,The skull of Sinonyx gives us an idea of how it related to its world. Heterodont dentition; incisors, wicked canines, and an array of triangular premolars and molars makes Sinonyx' mouth look like a buzz-saw. This gave sinonyx  a variety of effective tools for processing food, either live prey or scavenging carcasses or possibly fruits and nuts. Extensive flanges and crests on the skull meant more surface area for attachment of jaw muscles, because really what good are fabulous teeth if you can't make them "go". So in a way Sinonyx reminds me of many extinct species who seemed to evolve in the direction of "hyper-cephalism", like T-Rex. The body was just there to propel this huge head through the environment so it could meet some food.


 Painting is 15x20 acrylic on illustration board.