Hylochoerus Meinertzhageni
by Ethan L.
Hylochoerus Meinertzhageni is an interesting hog from Africa. It has two curling tusks out of the side of its face, has two abnormally large teeth poking out of the side of its mouth, and is covered in a lot of hair. Its weight varies from 220 to 605 pounds. Its body length varies from 4.3 to 7 feet plus 10 to 18 inches for its tail. It builds a nest near bodies of water in Africa. Wallowing is its favorite activity.
According to our cladogram, the Hylochoerus Meinertzhageni evolved many traits over time. First, it evolved a skull and a backbone and was called a vertebrate. Secondly, it can be called a gnathostome, meaning that it evolved a jaw. Thirdly, it turned into a tetrapod, meaning that it evolved four legs. After that, it evolved the trait of an amniote, which can lay a water-tight egg. Next it became a synapsid, meaning it had a hole behind its eye socket. Then it become a mammal and evolved three middle ear bones. In the seventh step it evolved a placenta and could give live birth, not in an egg, and was called a placental. Finally, it evolved hooves and now is considered an ungulate. This animal went through a long evolutionary pathway!
According to the class cladogram, the Hylochoerus Meinertzhageni is most closely related to the Irish Elk. The most advanced trait that they share is being an ungulate, meaning that they both have hooves. The biggest difference between them is that the Hylochoerus Meinertzhageni has two molars sticking out of the side of its mouth. The way I figured how the Hylochoerus Meinertzhageni is related to the Irish Elk was to follow my animal’s branch on the cladogram until it met at the nearest node. Irish Elk branched off of the other side of that node making it the closest relative of the Hylochoerus Meinertzhageni.
The people at the American Museum of Natural History gave more detail about the relationships. At the museum the cladogram showed that the Hylochoerus Meinertzhageni was closely related to multiple animals such as camels, llamas, protoceratids, tragulids, giraffes, cattle, antelope, and deer equally. Some traits that the Hylochoerus Meinertzhageni and the animals above share are being hoofed animals to help their style of walking, and a double-pulley-shaped ankle bone for the same purpose. I used a cladogram at the museum to find out this information. The traits were on the nodes labeled. I followed my animal’s branch on the cladogram until it met at the nearest node. The animals above branched off of the other side of that node making them all equally close relatives of the Hylochoerus Meinertzhageni.
Last updated April 6, 2007.