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{{short description|Extinct genus of mammals}}
{{italic title}}{{Taxobox
{{Automatic taxobox
| name = ''Ramoceros''
| fossil_range = [[Clarendonian]]<br>~{{fossil range|13.6|10.3}}
| image = Ramoceros osborni skeleton.jpg
| image = Ramoceros osborni skeleton.jpg
⚫
| image_caption = ''Ramoceros osborni'' skeleton
| image_width = 200px
| image_caption = ''Ramoceros osborni'' skeleton
| taxon = Ramoceros
| authority = Frick, 1937
| regnum = [[Animal]]ia
| subdivision_ranks = Species
| phylum = [[Chordate|Chordata]]
| subdivision =
| classis = [[Mammal]]ia
*''R. brevicornis''
| ordo = [[Artiodactyla]]
*''R. marthae''
| subordo = [[Ruminantia]]
*''R. merriami''
| familia = [[Antilocapridae]]
*''R. osborni''
| genus = ''Ramoceros''
| species = ''''R. osborni''''
*''R. palmatus''
*''R. ramosus''
⚫
| binomial = ''Ramoceros osborni''
}}
}}
{{multiple image|direction=horizontal|footer=At left is a life restoration. At right is ''Ramoceros osborni''.|footer_align=left|image1=Merycodus osborni.jpg|width1=177|image2=Ramoceros osborni.jpg|width2=121}}


'''''Ramoceros''''' is an extinct [[genus]] of [[artiodactyl]] endemic to [[Miocene]] and [[Pliocene]] [[North America]].<ref name=Blount>Blount, Kitty and Crowley, Maggie. ''Encyclopedia of Dinosaurs & Prehistoric Life'', p. 271 (Penguin, 2008).</ref>
'''''Ramoceros''''' is an extinct [[genus]] of the [[Artiodactyla|artiodactyl]] family [[Antilocapridae]] endemic to [[Middle Miocene]] ([[Clarendonian]]) [[North America]].<ref name=Blount>Blount, Kitty and Crowley, Maggie. ''Encyclopedia of Dinosaurs & Prehistoric Life'', p. 271 (Penguin, 2008).</ref>


==Taxonomy==
==Relatives and characteristics==
⚫
''Ramoceros'' is one of several [[genera]] that originated from the [[subfamily]] [[Merycodontinae]], of which the [[pronghorn]] is the only surviving remnant.<ref>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).</ref> In fact, pronghorn is the only surviving remnant of the entire family [[Antilocapridae]].<ref name=smithsonian>Smithsonian Institution. North American Mammals: [http://www.mnh.si.edu/mna/image_info.cfm?species_id=7 Pronghorn ''Antilocapra americana'']</ref>
⚫
The 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.<ref name=Blount /> The modern pronghorn weights about 35 to 70 kg, whereas the smaller ramoceros generally weighed 10-20 kg.<ref>Kues, Barry. The Paleontology of New Mexico, p. 364 (University of New Mexico Press, 2008).</ref>


''[[Merriamoceros]]'' was originally placed in ''Ramoceros'' (as ''Ramoceros coronatus'').<ref name="Gregory1942">{{cite journal|last=Gregory |first=J. T. |year=1942 |title=Pliocene Vertebrates From Big Spring Canyon South Dakota |journal=University of California Publications, Bulletin of the Department of Geological Sciences |volume=26|issue=4 |pages=307–446}}</ref>
⚫
Ramoceros is one of several [[genera]] that originated from the [[subfamily]] [[Merycodontinae]], of which the pronghorn is the only surviving remnant.<ref>Heffelfinger, Jim. ''Deer of the Southwest: A Complete Guide to the Natural History, Biology, and Management of Southwestern Mule Deer and White'', p. 26 (Texas A&M University Press, 2006).</ref> In fact, pronghorn is the only surviving remnant of the entire family [[Antilocapridae]].<ref name=smithsonian>Smithsonian Institution. North American Mammals: [http://www.mnh.si.edu/mna/image_info.cfm?species_id=7 Pronghorn ''Antilocapra americana'']</ref>


==Description==
⚫
The long forked horns of the ramoceros may have been used by rival males in competition. Like other [[antilocaprid]]s, the ramoceros regrew their horns every year, forming new horns growing on bony centers. For that reason, many scientists believe pronghorns are more closely related to [[deer]] than to [[cattle]].<ref name=Blount />
[[File:Merycodus osborni.jpg|thumb|left|Restoration of ''R. osborni'' and ''[[Cosoryx]]'']]
⚫
''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.<ref name=Blount /> The modern pronghorn weighs about {{convert|35|to|70|kg|lb}}, whereas the smaller ''Ramoceros'' generally weighed {{convert|10|to|20|kg|lb}}.<ref>Kues, Barry. ''The Paleontology of New Mexico'', p. 364 (University of New Mexico Press, 2008).</ref>


The horns of ''Ramoceros'' are notable in that one horn, either the left or right, is always about three to four times larger than the other.<ref>{{cite book |title=Nebraska History: Volume 75 |date=1994 |publisher=Nebraska State Historical Society |page=49}}</ref>
==See also==

*[[Antelope]]
==Paleobiology==
⚫
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.<ref name=Blount />


==Bibliography==
==Bibliography==
Line 33: Line 37:


==References==
==References==
{{Reflist}}
<references/>

{{Taxonbar|from=Q29586762}}
{{portal|Paleontology}}


⚫
[[Category:Miocene even-toed ungulates]]
[[Category:Prehistoric pronghorns]]
[[Category:Prehistoric pronghorns]]
[[Category:Prehistoric Artiodactyla genera]]
⚫
[[Category:Miocene Artiodactyla]]
[[Category:Miocene mammals of North America]]
[[Category:Clarendonian]]
[[Category:Fossil taxa described in 1937]]

Latest revision as of 19:56, 5 January 2024

Ramoceros
Temporal range: Clarendonian
~13.6–10.3 Ma
↓
Ramoceros osborni skeleton
Scientific classification Edit this classification
Domain: Eukaryota
Kingdom: Animalia
Phylum: Chordata
Class: Mammalia
Order: Artiodactyla
Family: Antilocapridae
Subfamily: †Merycodontinae
Genus: †Ramoceros
Frick, 1937
Species
  • R. brevicornis
  • R. marthae
  • R. merriami
  • R. osborni
  • R. palmatus
  • R. ramosus

Ramoceros is an extinct genus of the artiodactyl family Antilocapridae endemic to Middle Miocene (Clarendonian) North America.[1]

Taxonomy[edit]

Ramoceros is one of several genera that originated from the subfamily Merycodontinae, of which the pronghorn is the only surviving remnant.[2] In fact, pronghorn is the only surviving remnant of the entire family Antilocapridae.[3]

Merriamoceros was originally placed in Ramoceros (as Ramoceros coronatus).[4]

Description[edit]

Restoration of R. osborni and Cosoryx

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.[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).[5]

The horns of Ramoceros are notable in that one horn, either the left or right, is always about three to four times larger than the other.[6]

Paleobiology[edit]

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.[1]

Bibliography[edit]

  • Vertebrate Palaeontology by Michael J. Benton
  • The Evolution of Artiodactyls by Donald R. Prothero and Scott E. Foss

References[edit]

  1. ^ a b c Blount, Kitty and Crowley, Maggie. Encyclopedia of Dinosaurs & Prehistoric Life, p. 271 (Penguin, 2008).
  2. ^ 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).
  3. ^ Smithsonian Institution. North American Mammals: Pronghorn Antilocapra americana
  4. ^ Gregory, J. T. (1942). "Pliocene Vertebrates From Big Spring Canyon South Dakota". University of California Publications, Bulletin of the Department of Geological Sciences. 26 (4): 307–446.
  5. ^ Kues, Barry. The Paleontology of New Mexico, p. 364 (University of New Mexico Press, 2008).
  6. ^ Nebraska History: Volume 75. Nebraska State Historical Society. 1994. p. 49.
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