Ceratogaulus
| Ceratogaulus | ||||||||||||
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Reconstruction of Ceratogaulus hatcheri |
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| Temporal occurrence | ||||||||||||
| Miocene | ||||||||||||
| 5.1 to 4.8 million years | ||||||||||||
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| Systematics | ||||||||||||
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| Scientific name | ||||||||||||
| Ceratogaulus | ||||||||||||
| Matthew , 1902 | ||||||||||||
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Ceratogaulus anecdotus |
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Ceratogaulus is an extinct genus of mammals from the Miocene of North America . Four species of these squirrel relatives (Sciuromorpha) have been scientifically described , the type species is C. rhinocerus .
Appearance and way of life
Ceratogaulus was similar in general physique to today's marmot , which suggests a similar way of life ( convergence ). The animal had a pair of blunt horns on its skull and long, laterally flattened claws on its hind and forefeet. The function of the horns is unclear, with suspicions being suggested that they may have played a role in recruiting, defending, or as another digging tool. The fact that the horns occurred in both sexes speaks against a role in partner choice.
Ceratogaulus , like its closest relatives, died out about five million years ago in the late Miocene when the vast forests gave way to open grasslands.
literature
- Douglas Palmer: Dinosaurs & Prehistoric Animals . Könemann, Cologne 2000, ISBN 3-8290-6113-7 .
- Samantha SB Hopkins: The evolution of fossoriality and the adaptive role of horns in the Mylagaulidae (Mammalia: Rodentia) . In: Proceedings of the Royal Society. Series B: Biological Sciences. Vol. 272, No. 1573, 2005, ISSN 0950-1193 , pp. 1705-1713, doi: 10.1098 / rspb.2005.3171 , full text (PDF; 362 kB), (English) .
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