The family Heitostiidae consists of one genus and species. It is a huge rodent that lives in the water, taking the place of modern hippos, only found in the Amazon River system. They are rather long in body, short legs, large head, and a mouth that can open a full 90 degrees. The ears are small and round, and the eyes are medium-sized. The males also have a fleshy horn structure on the end of the nose. The males use this horn for sparring. The females completely lack this structure.
Like modern hippos, these large rodents stay submerged in the water, only coming on shore occasionally to feed on plants and flowers. The nostrils are placed on top of the muzzle, as are the eyes and ears. This way, these animals can hide under the water with nothing more than their eyes, ears and nostrils above the surface. They are rather large rodents, about 10 feet long, and have no tail. The feet are fully webbed. These animals are strict vegetarians, feeding on any green vegetation they can find under the water or on land. They sometimes travel in small herds when retreating to land to feed. Or live in small family groups when submerging in the river.
Due to their size and aggressive nature, most predators leave these animals alone. They are generally left alone by crocodilians or large predatory fish. The only animals they may encounter problems with are the large deinognathids. These are very slow, deliberate swimmers, sometimes they creep and crawl along the river floor, sometimes they stroke through the upper levels of the water. They are capable of staying under water for a period of about 30 minutes without the need to breathe again. When diving, these animals close their ears tight, and the eyes are covered with a very thin nictitating membrane. Thus their eyes stay protected from sand and other debris, while they are still able to see underwater.
Picture coming soon, as soon as I can fix one up.
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