Family of the Week: the Parrot-Bills

These are large mammals descended from the rodents of today, such as porcupines. These animals however do not have the quills of modern porcupines, instead they have rather soft, flat-lying fur. Their size is what intimidates predators. These animals are unique in that their ancient incisors developed into a protruding, parrot-like beak, used for chomping off tree branches for consumption. The eyes are rather small, the ears are large and highly mobile. The head is rather horse-like in appearance. The beak protrudes out the front of the muzzle and in some cases there are tusks. The largest tusks belong to Siagonodon. They have powerful jaws to break down branches and bark from trees. The body is large and bulky, and the legs are a bit like those of elephants. The tail is thick and relatively short. In some species there is a tasseling effect present. The neck is rather long, but thick. In some species, they even have a tapir-like proboscis, helpful in grasping higher branches and bringing it down to their mouths. For their size, these animals are surprisingly agile, and will rear up on their hind legs to appear larger to a predator. All species are diurnal and strict vegetarians.

There are no really "small" species, the smallest is in the genus Stegopsittatherium. These animals reach an average of about 6 feet tall, and 8 feet long. The legs are more slender than in other species and the head is smaller, with a more slender neck and resembles that of a camel. The tail is long and carries high. The feet are soft, with blunt nails. These animals live in herds and cannot use bulk to intimidate predators. Instead they prefer to run from danger. They are fast runners as well, reaching speeds of about 50 m.p.h. at top speed. The tough flesh on the back offers some protection against predators, but it doesn't deter any attacks.

The largest species in the family is Siagonodon. This is the most unusual species as well. They stand about 20 feet tall, and are equipped with 7-foot long tusks that grow out the lower jaw. This gives these animals an advantage when peeling bark from a tree to get at the moist, juicy under layer that these animals love to feed on. They then use their powerful beak to rip these bits out. They also feed on leaves and young shoots. The forelimbs are longer than the hind limbs, as with all species in this family. These animals live in couples, and are monogamous.

These animals, because of their size and fierce-looking parrot-like beaks, have really very few predators. Though their calves may be taken down by anything, the adults only have to fear large Deinognathids like Spathodon. Then there is also the ever-present Castosarchus. These apes hunt in packs so they can easily bring down an adult. But Psittacodonts have very tough flesh that is not so easily ripped into, so in most cases, a predator would have to be pretty powerful. I did a picture of Psittacodon some time ago, and I was going to put it on my site once I did that group. I just never got around to doing the group! So here's the picture I did: