Ramoceros

Ramoceros
Ramoceros osborni skeleton
Scientific classification
Kingdom: Animalia
Phylum: Chordata
Clade: Synapsida
Class: Mammalia
Order: Artiodactyla
Family: Antilocapridae
Genus: †Ramoceros
Species: †R. osborni
Binomial name
Ramoceros osborni
At left is a life restoration. At right is Ramoceros osborni.

Ramoceros is an extinct genus of the artiodactyl family Antilocapridae endemic to Miocene and Pliocene North America.[1]

Relatives and characteristics

Ramoceros was a prehistoric relative of modern pronghorn (Antilocapra americana), which is a species of artiodactyl mammal indigenous to interior western and central North America; modern pronghorn are the second-fastest mammal in the world.[1] The modern pronghorn weighs about 35 to 70 kilograms (77 to 154 lb), whereas the smaller Ramoceros generally weighed 10 to 20 kilograms (22 to 44 lb).[2]

Ramoceros is one of several genera that originated from the subfamily Merycodontinae, of which the pronghorn is the only surviving remnant.[3] In fact, pronghorn is the only surviving remnant of the entire family Antilocapridae.[4]

The long forked horns of Ramoceros may have been used by rival males in competition. Like other antilocaprids, Ramoceros regrew their horns every year, forming new horns growing on bony centers. For that reason, many scientists believe they are more closely related to deer than to cattle.[1]

Bibliography

References

  1. 1 2 3 Blount, Kitty and Crowley, Maggie. Encyclopedia of Dinosaurs & Prehistoric Life, p. 271 (Penguin, 2008).
  2. ↑ Kues, Barry. The Paleontology of New Mexico, p. 364 (University of New Mexico Press, 2008).
  3. ↑ Heffelfinger, Jim. Deer of the Southwest: A Complete Guide to the Natural History, Biology, and Management of Southwestern Mule Deer and White-tailed Deer, p. 26 (Texas A&M University Press, 2006).
  4. ↑ Smithsonian Institution. North American Mammals: Pronghorn Antilocapra americana
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