Desmostylus hesperus Tooth-California

Taxa: Desmostylus hesperus

Geology: Temblor formation

Age: Miocene

Locality: California

Size: 2 1/8x2 1/16x1 3/16" or 4.8x5.1x5.5 cm

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Desmostylus

Desmostylus is an extinct genus of large, amphibious, marine mammal that inhabited the coastal waters and estuaries of the North Pacific region during the Miocene epoch, roughly 28 to 10 million years ago. Belonging to the enigmatic order Desmostylia—distant relatives of modern elephants and sirenians—it was a heavily built animal weighing up to several hundred kilograms, featuring powerful limbs adapted for paddling and walking along the seafloor. Desmostylus is most famous for its extraordinary, uniquely shaped teeth, which consisted of clusters of closely packed enamel-covered columns (giving the genus its name, meaning "chain pillar") used to shear tough aquatic vegetation and marine plants.