Paleopathology of Early CenozoicCoryphodon(Mammalia; Pantodonta)

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Abstract
Examination of more than 2000 specimens of the early Cenozoic pantodont Coryphodon revealed only five pathological specimens: 1. A partial skull with a triangular puncture probably inflicted by the canine of another Coryphodon. 2. A left M3 with two supernumerary teeth, one probably the result of gemination and the other a possible case of true concrescence. 3. Two patellae of the same individual with exostoses on their distal processes, cause uncertain. 4. A patella and tibia of the same individual in which the patellar ligament is ossified to the distal process of the patella, and the tubercle of the tibia is consequently deformed. 5. The holotype pes of C. singularis Osborn, 1898, which has exostoses and other abnormalities suggestive of pathology, thus rendering C. singularis a nomen dubium. The relatively low frequency of pathologies in Coryphodon and other early Cenozoic pantodonts may indicate that there was less skeletal disease in the early Cenozoic than at present, but more thorough surveys of the frequency of pathologies of extinct and extant mammals are needed before a definite conclusion can be drawn.

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