Protoungecula - Kinteijomoku

…There are only two extant species in Africa and one in South Asia, but in geological times there were many species and they were widely distributed from the tropics to the cold zones of Africa, Europe, Asia, and North and South America. They are primitive ungulates (protoungular order) originating from Africa and are closely related to the orders of the burrowing hoof and manatee, but their nose and upper lip have both grown long, giving them a "nose" that can move freely like a hand. They have a large head and a short neck, thick limbs with five fingers on both front and back feet, and are ungulate, supporting their bodies with the tips of their phalanges, but their hooves are incomplete and more like soles. …

*Some of the terminology that refers to "Protoungeidae" is listed below.

Source | Heibonsha World Encyclopedia 2nd Edition | Information

…現生種はアフリカに2種，南アジアに1種しかいないが，地質時代にはアフリカ，ヨーロッパ，アジア，南北アメリカの熱帯から寒帯まで広く分布し，多くの種類があった。アフリカ起源の原始的な有蹄類(近蹄上目)でイワダヌキ目，カイギュウ目などに近縁であるが，鼻と上唇がいっしょに長くのび，手のように自由に動く〈鼻〉ができた。　頭は大きく首が短く，四肢は太く前･後足とも5指をそなえ，指骨の先端で体を支える蹄行性であるが，ひづめは不完全でひらづめに近い。…

※「近蹄上目」について言及している用語解説の一部を掲載しています。

出典｜株式会社平凡社世界大百科事典 第２版について | 情報