Kubanochoerus
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| Kubanochoerus Fossil range: Miocene |
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Kubanochoerus gigas
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Kubanochoerus was a genus of large, long-legged pigs from the Miocene of Eurasia. The largest species, the aptly named K. gigas, grew to be up 1 metre at the shoulder, and weighed up to 500 kilograms, in life. The heads of these pigs were unmistakable, with their small eyebrow horns, and a large horn emanating from the forehead of the males. It is speculated that the males used their forehead horns for jousting with each other.
They all died out prior to the end of the Miocene.
The species K. massai was originally thought to be an African species, as the first specimen shared the genus' distinctive eyebrow horns. Its lack of a forehead horn lead experts to interpret the skull as belonging to a female. However, recently, K. massai has been split off into its own genus, Libyochoerus (commemorating the fact that it was originally found in Libya.) Some species of the genus Megalochoerus have been also reassigned to Libyochoerus, though, many experts don't agree with this.

