Scarrittia is an extinct genus of hoofed mammal of the family Leontiniidae (SO Toxodonta), Order Notoungulata, native to South America during the early Oligocene

Oligocene

The Oligocene is a geologic epoch of the Paleogene Period and extends from about 34 million to 23 million years before the present . As with other older geologic periods, the rock beds that define the period are well identified but the exact dates of the start and end of the period are slightly...

 epoch.

Characteristics

Scarrittia was about 2 metres (6.6 ft) in body length, and resembled a rhinoceros with a relatively long body and neck. It had three hoofed toes on each foot, and a very short tail. Due to a fused tibia

Tibia

The tibia , shinbone, or shankbone is the larger and stronger of the two bones in the leg below the knee in vertebrates , and connects the knee with the ankle bones....

 and fibia, Scarrittia would have been unable to turn its legs sideways. The short skull

Skull

The skull is a bony structure in the head of many animals that supports the structures of the face and forms a cavity for the brain.The skull is composed of two parts: the cranium and the mandible. A skull without a mandible is only a cranium. Animals that have skulls are called craniates...

 had 44 poorly specialized teeth.

Natural History

This was a very successful genus with various known species, such as Scarrittia robusta and Scarrittia canquelensis, which lived around 30 million years ago. They lived in moist forest, near the coast, in wetlands, lakes, swamps, etc. and they ate soft vegetation, grasses, fruits and trees. Some species were omnivorous, eating also eggs and small mammals. They were not adapted for running, though their large size meant they had few enemies.