Hayoceros

From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
The printable version is no longer supported and may have rendering errors. Please update your browser bookmarks and please use the default browser print function instead.

Hayoceros
Temporal range: Middle-Late Pleistocene
Scientific classification Edit this classification
Domain: Eukaryota
Kingdom: Animalia
Phylum: Chordata
Class: Mammalia
Order: Artiodactyla
Family: Antilocapridae
Genus: Hayoceros
Skinner, 1942
Species
  • H. barbouri
  • H. falkenbachi

Hayoceros is an extinct genus of the artiodactyl family Antilocapridae, endemic to North America during the Pleistocene epoch (1.8 mya—300,000 years ago), existing for about 1.5 million years.[1]

Taxonomy

Hayoceros was named by Skinner (1942) and named as a subgenus of Tetrameryx by Frick 1937; it was later raised to genus level. It was assigned to the Antilocapridae by Skinner (1942) and Carroll (1988).[2][3]

Morphology

It was about 1.8 m (5.9 ft) in body length, and in most respects, resembled modern pronghorns. However, in addition to the pair of forked horns located above the eyes, as in modern pronghorns, it also possessed a second, longer and unforked, pair on the back of the skull. Most likely, males used these to fight in a fashion similar to modern pronghorns, locking horns and then pushing until the opponent gives in.[4]

References

  1. ^ PaleoBiology Database: Dinictis, basic info
  2. ^ M. F. Skinner. 1942. The fauna of Papago Springs Cave, Arizona, and a study of Stockeros; with three new antilocaprines from Nebraska and Arizona. Bulletin of the American Museum of Natural History 80(6):143-220
  3. ^ R. L. Carroll. 1988. Vertebrate Paleontology and Evolution. W. H. Freeman and Company, New York 1-698
  4. ^ Palmer, D., ed. (1999). The Marshall Illustrated Encyclopedia of Dinosaurs and Prehistoric Animals. London: Marshall Editions. p. 280. ISBN 1-84028-152-9.