Desmostylus hesperus

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Desmostylus hesperus A species of subungulate mammals from the mid-Tertiary (Upper Miocene to Lower Pliocene) of western N. America and eastern Asia that lived in shallow coastal waters. It was an early sirenian-like animal, although the body was large (of hippopotamus size) with massive limbs. The skull was elongate, and there were ‘tusks’ on both upper and lower jaws.