Phylogenetic miniaturization at the hippo-to-pig transition

Here
in the large reptile tree (LRT, 2332 taxa) oreodonts came first, then pre-hippos, then pre-pigs currently evidently via phylogenetic miniaturization (Fig 1). Among the pre-hippos was Grangeria (Fig 1). Among the pre-pigs and pre-camels were two smaller and still smaller taxa: Anthrocobunodon and Aumelia (Fig 1).

Grangeria gobiensis
(Zdansky 1930, Colbert 1934) is known from crushed materials of several individuals of various sizes. The incisors are large, as in Procavia. The manus and pes are said to be transitional to derived chalicotheres. The generic name is shared with a plant. This taxon is basal to hippos.

Anthracobunodon weigelti
(Erfurt 2000, 1835; 70cm in length; Eocene) nests basal to pigs in the LR, closer to Aumelasia and Cainotherium. The tail is about 20 cm long and has 25% of the body length, which is unknown in recent artiodactyls. Data is largely from x-ray graphics.

Aumelasia gabineaudi
(Sudre 1979 (1980) Middle Eocene, 51–43mya, 42cm long (juvenile), skull 9.2cm long) was orginally described as a basal artiodactyl (Dichobunidae) based on its dentition. Here Aumelasia nests as a basal artiodactyl close to Cainotherium.

A new YouTube video on getting a paleo job:

Short note from a paleo insider on paleo jobs as of 1/19/25:
Professor Don Prothero posted on FB:
“I’m all for being positive and telling kids to think big and pursue their dreams–but SOMEWHERE along the line, SOMEONE should tell these kids about the HORRIBLE job market in paleontology, and about how there are 100 PhDs for each research job, and the job market is shrinking. Sure, there are other career paths, but the profession DOESN”T HAVE THE JOB BASE to accept lots of people–and too many people suffer from it….”

Another short note from a paleo outsider/heretic
I also posted on FB in response:
“Or do what I did. Have a regular job, go around the world studying fossils, then write papers that get published in all the big academic journals. Except… that worked before Jurassic Park. Now you can post your observations online at ResearchGate, just like the pros do after getting published elsewhere online. In the end: no difference. Do it without getting paid, without professorial and peer group pressure.”

In the 1990s I saw  a vacuum in paleontology
back when everyone wanted to know about pterosaur origins, but no one was willing to do the work to recover pterosaur outgroup taxa. And then bats. And then whales. And then reptiles. And then gnathostomes x2. And then placentals x3.

Those paleo vacuums no longer exist. All I did was add taxa. That filled the vacuum.

Paleo insiders don’t recognize or test these hypotheses. And that’s OK.
John Ostrom was a Yale professor and didn’t get recognized for his discoveries
until thirty years had passed. You have to be OK with that lag, either way you go.

References
Colbert EH 1934. Chalicotheres from Mongolia and China in the American Museum. Bulletin of the American Museum of Natural History 47(3):353–387.
Erfurt J 2000. Rekonstruktion des Skelettes und der Biologie von Anthracobunodon weigelti (Artiodactyla, Mammalia) aus dem Eozän des Geiseltales  (Reconstruction of the skeleton and biology of Anthracobunodon weigelti (Artiodactyla, Mammalia) from the Eocene of the Geiseltal (Germany). Hallesches Jahrb. Geowiss. Reihe B 12:57–141. in German.
Sudre J 1980. Aumelasia gabineaudi n.g. n.sp. nouveau Dichobunidae (Artiodactyla, Mammalia) du gisement d’Aumelas (Hérault) d’âge Lutétien terminal. Palaeovertebrata, Mémoire Jubilaire R. Lavocat 9:197–211.
Zdansky 0 1930. Die Alttertiaren Saugetiere Chinas nebst Stratigraphischen
Bemerkungen. Pal. Sinica, Ser. C, VI, fas. II, pp. 62-72, Pls. Iv, figs. 9-16, v, figs. 1-20.

wiki/Aumelasia– in German
wiki/Anthracobunodon – not yet posted
wiki/Grangeria – not yet posted

Source: https://pterosaurheresies.wordpress.com/2025/01/20/phylogenetic-miniaturization-at-the-hippo-to-pig-transition/