Paleoparadoxia is thought to have fed primarily on
seaweeds and
sea grasses. The
jaws and the angle of the teeth resemble a
backhoe bucket. Its bulky body was well adapted for swimming and underwater foraging. Originally interpreted as amphibious,
Paleoparadoxia is now thought to have been a fully marine mammal like their possible relatives, the
sirenians, spending most of their lives walking across the sea bottom like marine hippos. Studies on its habitat preference show that it favoured deep, offshore waters. Recent discoveries have extended the known geographical range of
Paleoparadoxia, with the oldest record from the northwest Pacific suggesting a much earlier presence in this region. This finding implies that
Paleoparadoxia had a wider distribution and potentially different migratory patterns than previously understood, hinting at a complex early evolution within the Desmostylia order. Size estimates of
P. tabatai vary, with the Tsuyama specimen measuring in length, in height, and in body mass, and the other specimens measuring and in body mass. named the genus
Cornwallius but
synonymized it as a species of
Paleoparadoxia. ==See also==