| Damaliscus hypsodon Temporal range: Mid - Late
Pleistocene
| |
|---|---|
Scientific classification
| |
| Domain: | Eukaryota |
| Kingdom: | Animalia |
| Phylum: | Chordata |
| Class: | Mammalia |
| Order: | Artiodactyla |
| Family: | Bovidae |
| Subfamily: | Alcelaphinae |
| Genus: | Damaliscus |
| Species: | †D. hypsodon
|
| Binomial name | |
| †Damaliscus hypsodon Faith et al., 2012
| |
Damaliscus hypsodon is an extinct species of antelope from the Middle- Late Pleistocene of Africa. Fossils have been found in Kenya and Tanzania.
Taxonomy
It was first described in 2012, though its remains were initially discovered in 1990 and went unnamed. [1] The earliest remains are from around 392 to 330 ka, [2] while the latest are from as recently as 12,000 years ago. [1]
Description
Damaliscus hypsodon was a small alcelaphine, only around the size of an impala. [1] The teeth of D. hypsodon showed a degree of hypsodonty greater than living antelopes and comparable to horses, indicating that it was a specialized grazer. Its remains have been found in association with oryx and zebras, which along with its tooth morphology suggest that it lived in open and arid grasslands. [3]
References
- ^ a b c Marean, C.; Gifford-Gonzalez, D. (1991). "Late Quaternary extinct ungulates of East Africa and palaeoenvironmental implications". Nature. 350 (6317): 418–420. doi: 10.1038/350418a0. S2CID 4264831.
- ^ Faith, J. Tyler; Potts, Richard; Plummer, Thomas W.; Bishop, Laura C.; Marean, Curtis W.; Tryon, Christian A. (November 2012). "New perspectives on middle Pleistocene change in the large mammal faunas of East Africa: Damaliscus hypsodon sp. nov. (Mammalia, Artiodactyla) from Lainyamok, Kenya". Palaeogeography, Palaeoclimatology, Palaeoecology. 361–362: 84–93. Bibcode: 2012PPP...361...84F. doi: 10.1016/j.palaeo.2012.08.005.
- ^ Faith, J. Tyler (2014). "Late Pleistocene and Holocene mammal extinctions on continental Africa". Earth-Science Reviews. 128: 105–121. doi: 10.1016/j.earscirev.2013.10.009.