Brachyhyops

Brachyhyops is a genus of entelodont artiodactyl mammal that lived during the Eocene Epoch of western North America and southeastern Asia (including Mongolia, China, and Kazakhstan).[1][2][3][4] The first fossil remains of Brachyhyops are recorded from the late Eocene deposits of Beaver Divide in central Wyoming and discovered by paleontology crews from the Carnegie Museum of Natural History during the early 20th century. The type species, Brachyhyops wyomingensis, is based on a single skull and was named by E.H. Colbert in 1937, but was not officially described until 1938. During the latter half of the 20th century, additional specimens from North America have been recorded from Saskatchewan and as far south as Texas, indicating that Brachyhyops had a broad distribution and was well-dispersed throughout western North America.

More recent discoveries from Eocene deposits in Mongolia lead to the recognition of a second species of Brachyhyops, B trofimovi.[5] It is notable that the oldest specimens of Brachyhyops are middle Eocene in age and have been recorded exclusively from southern Asia, whereas specimens from the late Eocene only occur in the northern part of the continent.[6] This implies that the genus Brachyhyops most likely originated in southern Asia, migrated north and eventually dispersed into western North America.