Tyrrhenotragus

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Tyrrhenotragus
Temporal range: Late Miocene
10–8  Ma
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Tyrrhenotragus gracillimus mandible.jpg
Tyrrhenotragus gracillimus mandible
Scientific classification OOjs UI icon edit-ltr.svg
Domain: Eukaryota
Kingdom: Animalia
Phylum: Chordata
Class: Mammalia
Order: Artiodactyla
Family: Bovidae
Subfamily: Antilopinae
Genus: Tyrrhenotragus
Thomas, 1984
Species:
T. gracillimus
Binomial name
Tyrrhenotragus gracillimus
(Weithofer, 1888) [1]
Synonyms

Antilope gracillima Weithofer, 1888

Tyrrhenotragus is an extinct genus of bovid that lived in the Late Miocene of Italy. It contains a single species, Tyrrhenotragus gracillimus. Fossils were of Late Vallesian and Early Turolian age and have been found in Baccinello, which at the time of its existence was an island. [2] T. gracillimus has features that are suggestive of an insular animal adapted to island existence.

Contents

Taxonomy

It was first described in 1888 as Antilope gracillima. Tyrrhenotragus was traditionally viewed as a member of the tribe Neotragini, which includes pygmy antelope, and was thought to represent a migration of African bovids into southern Europe. [3] However, some of the features traditionally thought to be derived from shared ancestry with other Neotragini, like small size and short metapodial bones, may have actually evolved independently due to adaptations to an island environment. [2]

Description

Tyrrhenotragus was a very small species of antelope. In addition to small size, it developed other features associated with insular bovids such as ever-growing hypsodont incisors and shortened limbs. [4] Such features are also seen in the more recent Myotragus (Balearic Island goat).

See also

Related Research Articles

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The term antelope refers to numerous extant or recently extinct species of the ruminant artiodactyl family Bovidae that are indigenous to most of Africa, India, the Middle East, Central Asia, and a small area of Eastern Europe. Antelopes do not form a monophyletic group, as some antelopes are more closely related to other bovid groups, like bovines, goats, and sheep, than to other antelopes.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Bovinae</span> Subfamily of mammals

Bovines comprise a diverse group of 10 genera of medium to large-sized ungulates, including cattle, bison, African buffalo, water buffalos, and the four-horned and spiral-horned antelopes. The evolutionary relationship between the members of the group is still debated, and their classification into loose tribes rather than formal subgroups reflects this uncertainty. General characteristics include cloven hooves and usually at least one of the sexes of a species having true horns. The largest extant bovine is the gaur.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Caprinae</span> Subfamily of mammals

The subfamily Caprinae, also sometimes referred to as the tribe Caprini, is part of the ruminant family Bovidae, and consists of mostly medium-sized bovids. A member of this subfamily is called a caprine.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Bovidae</span> Family of mammals belonging to even-toed ungulates

The Bovidae comprise the biological family of cloven-hoofed, ruminant mammals that includes cattle, yaks, bison, buffalo, antelopes, sheep and goats. A member of this family is called a bovid. With 143 extant species and 300 known extinct species, the family Bovidae consists of 11 major subfamilies and thirteen major tribes. The family evolved 20 million years ago, in the early Miocene.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Four-horned antelope</span> Small antelope from Asia (Tetracerus quadricornis)

The four-horned antelope, or chousingha, is a small antelope found in India and Nepal. Its four horns distinguish it from most other bovids, which have two horns. The sole member of the genus Tetracerus, the species was first described by French zoologist Henri Marie Ducrotay de Blainville in 1816. Three subspecies are recognised. The four-horned antelope stands nearly 55–64 centimetres (22–25 in) at the shoulder and weighs nearly 17–22 kilograms (37–49 lb). Slender with thin legs and a short tail, the four-horned antelope has a yellowish brown to reddish coat. One pair of horns is located between the ears, and the other on the forehead. The posterior horns are always longer than the anterior horns, which might be mere fur-covered studs. While the posterior horns measure 8–12 centimetres (3.1–4.7 in), the anterior ones are 2–5 centimetres (0.79–1.97 in) long.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Gerenuk</span> Long-necked species of antelope (Litocranius walleri)

The gerenuk, also known as the giraffe gazelle, is a long-necked, medium-sized antelope found in parts of East Africa. The sole member of the genus Litocranius, the gerenuk was first described by the naturalist Victor Brooke in 1879. It is characterised by its long, slender neck and limbs. The antelope is 80–105 centimetres tall, and weighs between 18 and 52 kilograms. Two types of colouration are clearly visible on the smooth coat: the reddish brown back or the "saddle", and the lighter flanks, fawn to buff. The horns, present only on males, are lyre-shaped. Curving backward then slightly forward, these measure 25–44 cm.

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References

  1. "Tyrrhenotragus". Fossilworks.
  2. 1 2 Henke, Winfried; Tattersall, Ian (2007). Handbook of Paleoanthropology: Vol I:Principles, Methods and Approaches Vol II:Primate Evolution and Human Origins Vol III:Phylogeny of Hominids. Springer. p. 1002.
  3. Harrison, Terry (2013). Neogene Paleontology of the Manonga Valley, Tanzania: A Window Into the Evolutionary History of East Africa. Springer US. p. 131. ISBN   9781475726831.
  4. Franzen, Jens Lorenz (2003). Walking Upright: Results of the 13th International Senckenberg Conference at the Werner Reimers Foundation, Bad Homburg V. D. H., and at the Senckenberg Research Institute, Frankfurt Am Main, October 5-9, 1999. Courier Forschungsinstitut Senckenberg. pp. 113–114.