Damaliscus hypsodon

Damaliscus hypsodon
Temporal range: Mid - Late Pleistocene
Scientific classification Edit this 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

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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][3]

Description

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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.[4]

References

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  1. ^ 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.
  2. ^ 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.
  3. ^ Faith, J. Tyler; Rowan, John; O’Brien, Kaedan; Blegen, Nick; Peppe, Daniel J. (7 December 2020). "Late Pleistocene Mammals from Kibogo, Kenya: Systematic Paleontology, Paleoenvironments, and Non-Analog Associations". Journal of Vertebrate Paleontology. 40 (5): e1841781. doi:10.1080/02724634.2020.1841781. ISSN 0272-4634. Retrieved 30 April 2024 – via Taylor and Francis Online.
  4. ^ 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.