Euceratherium

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Euceratherium
Euceratherium

Euceratherium

Temporal occurrence
Pleistocene
1.9 million years to 11,000 years
Locations
Systematics
Ruminants (ruminantia)
Forehead weapon bearer (Pecora)
Horned Bearers (Bovidae)
Antilopinae
Goatsies (Caprini)
Euceratherium
Scientific name
Euceratherium
Furlong & Sinclair , 1904
Art
  • Euceratherium collinum Furlong & Sinclair, 1904

Euceratherium ( Syn .: Preptoceras , Aftonius ) was a genus of horned bearers thatlived in North Americauntil the end of the Pleistocene . The animals were somewhat reminiscent of cattle , which gave them the English name "shrub-oxen" (= bush ox).

Etymology and history of research

The generic name is derived from the ancient Greek Εύκέραος ( eukéraos ; "beautiful horned") and θηρίον ( theríon ; "wild animal"). The first description of the genus and type species was made in April 1904 by Eustace Leopold Furlong and William J. Sinclair , somewhat unusual, in the form of an extensive footnote to a report on excavations in the Potter Creek Cave in California. A more detailed description by the same authors followed 2 months later.

distribution

Euceratherium was one of the first hornbearers to appear in America. He lived here in the early Pleistocene , long before the bison ( Bison ), which we usually see as the most typical American cattle. Both genera inhabited the North American continent for a long period of time, but while the bison survived to our days in North America, the "bush ox" died out at the end of the Pleistocene. Remains of the last species, Euceratherium collinum , have been found from northern California to Mexico and east to Illinois .

Appearance

Euceratherium was massive and was roughly between a bison and a muskox in size . The strong horns curved upwards at the base and forward at the top.

Way of life

The high-crowned teeth initially suggest a grass-eater. However, the point of attachment for the masseter on the upper jaw is only very weak, which speaks more for a diet than a leaf eater. An analysis of subfossil fecal pellets that are associated with Euceratherium seems to confirm the latter finding. These excrement pellets, also known as "HK pellets" due to their characteristic shape, which is reminiscent of a Hershey's kiss , show great resemblance to the solution of today's musk ox and were found in at least one case together with skeletal remains of Euceratherium . The fecal analysis showed a predominance (> 95%) of plant remains from trees and bushes, in particular Artemisia tridentata , Acacia , Quercus and Chrysothamnus . Perhaps the animals preferred hilly terrain.

literature

  • Paul S. Martin , Richard G. Klein (Eds.): Quaternary Extinctions. A Prehistoric Revolution. The University of Arizona Press, Tucson AZ 1984, ISBN 0-8165-1100-4 .
  • Erich Thenius : Basics of the fauna and distribution history of mammals. A historical animal geography. 2nd, completely revised edition. Fischer, Stuttgart 1980, ISBN 3-437-30312-0 .

Individual evidence

  1. ^ A b W. J. Sinclair & EL Furlong: Euceratherium, a new Ungulate from the Quaternary Caves of California. In: University of California Publications - Bulletin of the Department of Geology , Vol. 3, No. 20, pp. 411–418 & panels 50–51, 1904. (digitized version)
  2. ^ EL Furlong & WJ Sinclair: Preliminary description of Euceratherium collinum. Footnote in: WJ Sinclair: The Exploration of the Potter Creek Cave. In: University of California Publications - American Archeology and Ethnology , Vol. II, S. 18, 1904 (digitized version)
  3. a b c M. Kropf, JI Mead & R. Scott Anderson: Dung, diet, and the paleoenvironment of the extinct shrub-ox (Euceratherium collinum) on the Colorado Plateau, USA. In: Quaternary Research , Vol. 67, pp. 143–151, 2007. (digitized version )
  4. JI Mead & LD Agen Broad: isotope dating of Pleistocene deposits Dung From the Colorado Plateau, Arizona and Utah. In: Radiocarbon , Vol. 34, No. 1, pp. 1-19, 1992 (abstract)

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