일반명 : 오레오돈(Oreodont)
학 명 : Meriocoidodon culbertsonii
Age : 올리고세(Oligocene Epoch,38~23 million years ago)
Location : Badlands, South Dakota
Formation: Brule Formation
메리코이도돈은 오레오돈의 일종으로 사우스ㄷ;커다의 대표적인 올리고세 포유류이다.

Notes:
1.Etymology: Merycoidodon (MARE-ee-COY-doe-don) = ruminant-like tooth, culbertsonii (CULL-bert-SO-nee-eye) = named in honor of the Culbertson family, Oreodon (OH-ree-oh-don) = mountain tooth

2. Alexander Culbertson worked for the American Fur Company. He had originally sent the Merycoidodon (and Poebrotherium) fossils to his family in Pennsylvania. They were later forwarded to Leidy in Philadelphia.

3.Ruminants are a group of even-toed ungulates (Artiodactyls) that include camels, giraffes, deer, antelopes, cows, sheep and goats. (Ungulates are hoofed mammals.) The name ruminant refers to the first chamber (rumen) of their multi-chambered stomach. The rumen contains microorganisms that ferment the plant matter. This in turn increases the amount of nutrients that the ruminant can extract from its food. All ruminants also have the characteristic pairs of crescent-shaped lobes on their molar teeth.

4. Biologists have adopted a set of rules for naming organisms. One of them is the law of priority. In other words, the first name used in describing a new species is the official name. Even though Leidy preferred the name Oreodon, Merycoidodon came first.