Saotherium

{{Short description|Extinct genus of hippopotamus}}

{{for|the extinct otter genus|Satherium}}

{{Speciesbox

| fossil_range = Early Pliocene
{{Fossil range|5.3|4.0}}

| genus = Saotherium

| parent_authority = Boisserie, 2005{{cite web |title=Saotherium |url=https://paleobiodb.org/classic/checkTaxonInfo?taxon_no=77324 |website=Fossilworks}}

| species = mingoz

| authority = Boisserie, 2005

}}

Saotherium is an extinct genus of hippopotamid from the Early Pliocene of Africa, specifically Chad. It is represented by a single species, S. mingoz. The earliest fossils appear at the start of the Pliocene, while the latest are dated to about 4 mya.{{cite journal |last1=Boisserie |first1=J-R. |title=The phylogeny and taxonomy of Hippopotamidae (Mammalia: Artiodactyla): a review based on morphology and cladistic analysis |journal=Zoological Journal of the Linnean Society |date=2005 |volume=143 |issue=1 |pages=1-26 |doi=10.1111/j.1096-3642.2004.00138.x |url=https://wp.ufpel.edu.br/cdrehmer/files/2017/06/hipopotamo-STREHER.pdf&ved=2ahUKEwiH6sbXo-nyAhXnYd8KHSXyDcMQFnoECCcQAQ&usg=AOvVaw29pwmpaGVDPWgXY_9OR2ir|doi-access=free }}

Saotherium was a small hippopotamid similar to the pygmy hippopotamus in size and morphology. The elongated shape of its brain case and the relatively large orbits suggest a possible evolutionary relationship with the latter.{{cite book |last1=Prothero |first1=Donald R. |title=The Evolution of Artiodactyls |date=2007 |publisher=Johns Hopkins University Press |isbn=9780801887352 |page=112}}{{cite book |last1=Kingdon |first1=Jonathan |title=Mammals of Africa: Volume VI - Hippopotamuses, Pigs, Deer, Giraffe and Bovids |date=2014 |publisher=Bloomsbury Publishing |isbn=9781408189955 |page=79}}