creodont

American  

[kree-uh-dont] / ˈkri əˌdɒnt /

noun

1. any of a diverse group of extinct predatory mammals, from the Paleocene to Pleistocene epochs, that constituted the suborder Creodonta, of the order Carnivora, developing along evolutionary lines somewhat parallel to those of the ancestors of modern carnivores and typically having a stocky, doglike body and a long, low skull.

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creodont British  

/ ˈkriːəˌdɒnt /

noun

1. any of a group of extinct Tertiary mammals some of which are thought to have been the ancestors of modern carnivores: order Carnivora

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creodont Scientific  

/ krē′ə-dŏnt′ /

1. Any of various extinct carnivorous mammals of the order Creodonta of the Paleocene to the Pliocene Epochs. Creodonts had long, low skulls with crests to which chewing muscles were attached. They were the dominant carnivorous mammals for millions of years, and were once believed to be ancestral to modern carnivores.

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Etymology

Origin of creodont

< New Latin Creodonta (1875) name of the group, equivalent to cre- (< Greek kréas flesh) + -odont- -odont + -a neuter plural ending