Juxia

Juxia; Temporal range: Bartonian PreꞒ Ꞓ O S D C P T J K Pg N ↓
	Mounted skeleton, Inner Mongolia Museum
Scientific classification
Domain:	Eukaryota
Kingdom:	Animalia
Phylum:	Chordata
Class:	Mammalia
Order:	Perissodactyla
Suborder:	Ceratomorpha
Superfamily:	Rhinocerotoidea
Family:	†Paraceratheriidae
Genus:	†Juxia; Chow & Chiu, 1964
Type species
	†Juxia sharamurenense; Chow & Chiu, 1964
Species
	†J. sharamurenense Chow & Chiu, 1964; †J. borissiaki (Beliajeva, 1959);
Synonyms
	Imequinincisoria Wang, 1976; Species synonyms Juxia borissiaki: ; Eotrigonias borissiaki Beliajeva, 1959 ; Forstercooperia ergiliinensis Gabuniya & Dashzeveg, 1974 ; Imequinincisoria mazhuangensis Wang, 1976 ; Imequinincisoria micrasis Wang, 1976 ;

Juxia is an extinct genus of indricothere, a group of herbivorous mammals that are part of the odd-toed ungulate family tree of rhinoceros and tapirs. The type species is Juxia sharamurenense, named by Chow and Chiu in 1964. Juxia was around the size of a horse. It lived in Asia during the upper Eocene.^[2]

Skull and neck of a mounted specimen of *Juxia sharamurenense*, Paleozoological Museum of China

As an early indricothere, Juxia had a relatively light body, held by elongated long legs and small skull firmly attached to a relatively long neck. Based on its triangular like teeth and sharp protruding incisors, Juxia was probably a strict browser, feeding on ferns and leaves on branches where most herbivorous mammals couldn't reach. In terms of habitat, Juxia lived in densely lush and tropical forests of what is now China. Though a few skeletons have been found, it is unclear whether this early indricothere was permanently solitary or lived in small social groups, possibly harems. Based on its morphology, Juxia's long legs probably enabled it to run relatively fast for a limited duration. This was probably a defense mechanism against early mammalian predators.^[3]

References

^ Lucas, S.G.; Sobus, J.C. (1989). "The Systematics of Indricotheres". In Prothero, David R.; Schoch, Robert M. (eds.). The Evolution of Perissodactyls. Oxford University Press. pp. 358–378. ISBN 978-0-19-506039-3. OCLC 19268080.
^ Chow Minchen and Chiu Chan-Siang: An Eocene giant rhinoceros. Vertebrata PalAsiatica, 1964 (8), 1964, S. 264–268
^ Prothero, D. (2013). Rhinoceros Giants: The Palaeobiology of Indricotheres. Indiana: Indiana University Press. ISBN 978-0-253-00819-0.

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[lucas&sobus1989-1] Lucas, S.G.; Sobus, J.C. (1989). "The Systematics of Indricotheres". In Prothero, David R.; Schoch, Robert M. (eds.). The Evolution of Perissodactyls. Oxford University Press. pp. 358–378. ISBN 978-0-19-506039-3. OCLC 19268080.

[Chow_et_al._1964-2] Chow Minchen and Chiu Chan-Siang: An Eocene giant rhinoceros. Vertebrata PalAsiatica, 1964 (8), 1964, S. 264–268

[3] Prothero, D. (2013). Rhinoceros Giants: The Palaeobiology of Indricotheres. Indiana: Indiana University Press. ISBN 978-0-253-00819-0.

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