Ancylopoda

The term Ancylopoda refers to a division of fossil mammals that lived during the Miocene and Pliocene epochs. These animals are characterized by having clawed feet, which resembled those of edentates.1

Within the order Perissodactyla (odd-toed ungulates), Ancylopoda is classified as a suborder. This suborder includes the family Chalicotheriidae, known as chalicotheres. These were aberrant perissodactyls that existed from the Upper Eocene to the lower Pliocene. Early chalicotheres were similar in size to contemporary horses, while later ones grew larger, up to the size of a modern horse. A distinctive feature of many chalicotheres was their longer forelegs compared to hindlegs, and they possessed three toes on each foot, often with claw-like digits. It is believed they may have used these claws to dig for bulbs and roots.2