Ramoceros: Difference between revisions
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==Relatives and characteristics== |
==Relatives and characteristics== |
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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 |
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 weighs 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> |
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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> |
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> |
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Revision as of 20:17, 2 February 2014
| Ramoceros | |
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| Ramoceros osborni skeleton | |
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| Genus: | Ramoceros
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| Species: | R. osborni' '
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| Ramoceros osborni | |
Ramoceros is an extinct genus of artiodactyl endemic to Miocene and Pliocene North America.[1]
Relatives and characteristics
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.[1] The modern pronghorn weighs about 35 to 70 kg, whereas the smaller ramoceros generally weighed 10-20 kg.[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 the ramoceros may have been used by rival males in competition. Like other antilocaprids, the 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]
See also
Bibliography
- Vertebrate Palaeontology by Michael J. Benton
- The Evolution of Artiodactyls by Donald R. Prothero and Scott E. Foss
References
- ^ a b c Blount, Kitty and Crowley, Maggie. Encyclopedia of Dinosaurs & Prehistoric Life, p. 271 (Penguin, 2008).
- ^ Kues, Barry. The Paleontology of New Mexico, p. 364 (University of New Mexico Press, 2008).
- ^ 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).
- ^ Smithsonian Institution. North American Mammals: Pronghorn Antilocapra americana
