Desmostylus hesperus Variante:Pintado a mano Liaoning Province

Liaoning Province

In addition to its distinctive claw

the central toe being the main support for body weight

These structures lacked evidence of feathers and appear to have served to reinforce its camouflage or as part of a thermal regulation mechanism

Desmostylus hesperus Variante:Pintado a mano Liaoning ProvinceDesmostylus hesperus was a semi aquatic marine mammal from the Miocene belonging to Desmostylia, an extinct order of mammals known exclusively from the North Pacific. Unlike sirenians, pinnipeds or cetaceans, desmostylians represented a distinct evolutionary lineage that has completely disappeared. They have traditionally been associated with Tethytheria, the broader evolutionary group that includes sirenians and proboscideans. The generic name means