Archaeotherium ingens were extinct pig-like mammals that have no current day ancestors. They were truely bizarre and fearsome looking. They had bulky bodies with short, slender legs with cloven hooves (two toes touching the ground), and long muzzles. The adults had a skull which reached 5 feet in length. Its mouth was filled with tusk-like canines, primative pointed premolars and large robust molars. There were large bony projections beneath its eyes. Their teeth suggest that they were top predators, consumming live animals and carrion and supplemented their diets with plants and tubers. Regardless of the large size of their skulls, they had very small brain cavities and likely functioned by instinct.

The Late Chadronian and Early Oligocene forests and floodplain environments of the White River Badlands are where the remains of Archaeotherium are most commonly found. Still, because they were top predators, their remains are rarely found.

Because of replacement minerals, many of the fossil mammal teeth from the White River Formation of South Dakota will fluoresce. Be sure to check them out in our fluorescent section under the South Dakota page and then by the appropriate page for the species you are interested in. The item number will be the same as the item number in this section, but will be followed by an "F."

Kingdom: Animalia, Phylum: Chordata, Class: Mammalia, Order: Artiodactyla, Family: Entelodontidae, Genus: Archaeotherium, Species: ingens.

Archaeotherium ingens - "Giant pig"
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Time: Early Eocene through Early Oligocene, approximately 40 - 30 million years ago. Location: White River Formation, South Dakota Badlands, USA Dimensions: 1-1/2" x 3/4" x 5/8"