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Giraffoidea
Giraffoidea is a superfamily that includes the families Climacoceratidae, Prolibytheriidae, and Giraffidae. The only extant members in the superfamily are the giraffes and okapi. The Climacoceratidae are also placed in the superfamily, but were originally placed within the family Palaeomerycidae. Classification * Superfamily Giraffoidea ** Family † Climacoceratidae *** †'' Climacoceras'' *** †'' Orangemeryx'' *** †'' Propalaeoryx'' *** †'' Nyanzameryx'' *** †'' Sperrgebietomeryx'' ** Family † Prolibytheriidae *** †'' Discokeryx'' *** †'' Prolibytherium'' *** †'' Tsaidamotherium?'' ** Family Giraffidae *** †'' Canthumeryx'' *** †'' Georgiomeryx'' *** †'' Shansitherium'' *** Subfamily Sivatheriinae **** †''Bramatherium'' **** †'' Decennatherium'' **** †'' Helladotherium'' **** †''Sivatherium'' *** Subfamily Giraffinae **** Tribe Giraffini ***** †'' Bohlinia'' ***** ''Giraffa The giraffe is a large African hoofed mammal belonging t ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Giraffidae
The Giraffidae are a family (biology), family of ruminant artiodactyl mammals that share a recent common ancestor with deer and bovids. This family, once a diverse group spread throughout Eurasia and Africa, presently comprises only two extant genera, the giraffe (between one and eight, usually four, species of ''Giraffa'', depending on taxonomic interpretation) and the okapi (the only known species of ''Okapia''). Both are confined to sub-Saharan Africa: the giraffe to the open savannas, and the okapi to the dense rainforest of the Democratic Republic of the Congo, Congo. The two genera look very different on first sight, but share a number of common features, including a long, dark-coloured tongue, lobed canine teeth, and horns covered in skin, called ossicones. Taxonomy Evolutionary background The giraffids are ruminants of the clade Pecora. Other extant pecorans are the families Antilocapridae (pronghorns), Cervidae (deer), Moschidae (musk deer), and Bovidae (Bovini, cattl ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Climacoceratidae
Climacoceratidae is a family of superficially deer-like artiodactyl ungulates which lived in the Miocene epoch in Africa. They are close to the ancestry of giraffes, with some genera, such as '' Prolibytherium'', originally classified as giraffes. The climacoceratids, namely members of what is now the type genus '' Climacoceras'', were originally placed within the family Palaeomerycidae, and then within Giraffidae. In 1978, W. R. Hamilton erected a new family, placing it close to Giraffidae within the superfamily Giraffoidea. They differ from giraffes in that their antler-like ossicone Ossicones are columnar or conical skin-covered bone structures on the heads of giraffes, male okapi, and some of their extinct relatives. Ossicones are distinguished from the superficially similar structures of Horn (anatomy), horns and antlers ...s are derived from different bones. References * MacInnes, D. G. 1936, "A new genus of fossil deer from the Miocene of Africa", Journal of the Li ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Giraffinae
The Giraffidae are a family of ruminant artiodactyl mammals that share a recent common ancestor with deer and bovids. This family, once a diverse group spread throughout Eurasia and Africa, presently comprises only two extant genera, the giraffe (between one and eight, usually four, species of ''Giraffa'', depending on taxonomic interpretation) and the okapi (the only known species of ''Okapia''). Both are confined to sub-Saharan Africa: the giraffe to the open savannas, and the okapi to the dense rainforest of the Congo. The two genera look very different on first sight, but share a number of common features, including a long, dark-coloured tongue, lobed canine teeth, and horns covered in skin, called ossicones. Taxonomy Evolutionary background The giraffids are ruminants of the clade Pecora. Other extant pecorans are the families Antilocapridae (pronghorns), Cervidae (deer), Moschidae (musk deer), and Bovidae (cattle, goats and sheep, wildebeests and allies, and antelopes ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Decennatherium
''Decennatherium'' is an extinct genus of giraffids. The genus contains a total of four species with two species from Spain, ''D. pachecoi'' and ''D. rex'', and two species respectively from Iran and Pakistan, ''D. crusafonti'' and ''D. asiaticum''. In 2025, Solounias and Danowitz assigned the YGSP 47357, 6392, and 47192, previously referred to '' Lyrakeryx'', to ''Decennatherium''. References External links ''Decennatherium''at the Paleobiology Database The Paleobiology Database (PBDB) is an online resource for information on the distribution and classification of fossil animals, plants, and microorganisms. History The Paleobiology Database originated in the NCEAS-funded Phanerozoic Marine Pale ... Prehistoric giraffes Prehistoric Artiodactyla genera Fossil taxa described in 1952 Taxa named by Miquel Crusafont i Pairó {{paleo-eventoedungulate-stub ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Discokeryx
''Discokeryx'' is an extinct genus of even-toed ungulates, possibly related to the modern giraffe and okapi. ''D. xiezhi'' was alive during the Early Miocene period 17–16.9 million years ago. Fossilized remains of this animal were discovered in the Halamagai Formation located in northwest China. This species is known for their thick skulls and stumpy necks used for fighting other male ''D. xiezhi''. Description ''Discokeryx'' had a thick-boned cranium which had disk-shaped headgear located in the middle of the head, cervical vertebrae with thickened centra, and the most complicated head-neck joints in any mammal known at the time of its discovery in 2022. These adaptations were for head-butting behavior between males, comparable to the behaviors of rams and musk-oxen as well as the neck-blowing in modern male giraffes. The neck adaptations of ''Discokeryx'' help scientists to better understand the triggers for the evolution of the necks of giraffoids. Compared to extant he ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Giraffe
The giraffe is a large Fauna of Africa, African even-toed ungulate, hoofed mammal belonging to the genus ''Giraffa.'' It is the Largest mammals#Even-toed Ungulates (Artiodactyla), tallest living terrestrial animal and the largest ruminant on Earth. It is classified under the Family (biology), family Giraffidae, along with its closest extant relative, the okapi. Traditionally, giraffes have been thought of as one species, ''Giraffa camelopardalis'', with nine subspecies. Most recently, researchers proposed dividing them into four Neontology#Extant taxa versus extinct taxa, extant species which can be distinguished by their fur Animal coat, coat patterns. Six valid Lists of extinct species, extinct species of ''Giraffa'' are known from the fossil record. The giraffe's distinguishing characteristics are its extremely long neck and legs, horn-like ossicones, and spotted coat patterns. Its scattered range extends from Chad in the north to South Africa in the south and from Niger in ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Giraffa
The giraffe is a large African hoofed mammal belonging to the genus ''Giraffa.'' It is the tallest living terrestrial animal and the largest ruminant on Earth. It is classified under the family Giraffidae, along with its closest extant relative, the okapi. Traditionally, giraffes have been thought of as one species, '' Giraffa camelopardalis'', with nine subspecies. Most recently, researchers proposed dividing them into four extant species which can be distinguished by their fur coat patterns. Six valid extinct species of ''Giraffa'' are known from the fossil record. The giraffe's distinguishing characteristics are its extremely long neck and legs, horn-like ossicones, and spotted coat patterns. Its scattered range extends from Chad in the north to South Africa in the south and from Niger in the west to Somalia in the east. Giraffes usually inhabit savannahs and woodlands. Their food source is leaves, fruits, and flowers of woody plants, primarily acacia species, wh ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Climacoceras
''Climacoceras'' (from Greek for "ladder horns") is a genus of extinct artiodactyl ungulates that lived in Africa and Europe during the Miocene. The members of ''Climacoceras'' were related to giraffes, and the genus was formerly placed within the Giraffidae, but is now placed in the Climacoceratidae, a sister group within the superfamily Giraffoidea. Fossils of the two best known species of ''Climacoceras'', ''C. africanus'' and ''C. gentryi'', have both been found in Kenya. The animals measured about tall and had large ossicones resembling antlers. ''C. africanus'' had ossicones resembling tall, thorn-covered plant stems, while the ossicones of ''C. gentryi'' resembled thorny crescents. The genus was once placed within Palaeomerycidae, then Giraffidae. It is now considered a giraffoid in the family Climacoceratidae, erected by Hamilton. Other Climacoceratidae genera include ''Prolibytherium'' from Egypt and Libya and '' Orangemeryx'' from Namibia and South Africa Sou ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Sivatheriinae
Sivatheriinae is an extinct subfamily of Giraffidae, giraffids characterized by their robust size, short limbs, and the presence of large complicated ossicones in males. These animals lived in Asia, Africa, and parts of Europe from the late Miocene and early Pleistocene. References {{Taxonbar, from=Q42553048 Giraffes Mammal subfamilies Prehistoric mammals of Africa Prehistoric mammals of Asia Prehistoric mammals of Europe ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Prolibytherium
''Prolibytherium'' is an extinct genus of Climacoceratidae , prolibytheriid artiodactyl ungulate native to Middle Miocene North Africa and Pakistan, from around 16.9 to 15.97 million years ago. Fossils of ''Prolibytherium'' were found in the Marada Formation of Libya, Vihowa Formation of Pakistan, and the Moghara Formation of Egypt. Description The long creature would have superficially resembled an okapi or a deer. Unlike these, however, ''Prolibytherium'' displayed dramatic sexual dimorphism, in that the male had a set of large, leaf-shaped ossicones with a width of , while the female had a set of slender, horn-like ossicones. The taxonomic status of ''Prolibytherium'' remains in flux. At one time, it was described as a relative of ''Sivatherium'' (as a precursor to "Libytherium maurusium" (''S. maurusium'')). Later, it would be regarded as a Palaeomerycidae, palaeomerycid, or either as a Climacoceratidae, climacoceratid, or as a basal member of Giraffoidea. With the discov ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Sperrgebietomeryx
''Sperrgebietomeryx'' is a genus of giraffoid ruminants that lived during the early and middle Miocene epoch during the Cenozoic era in Namibia Namibia, officially the Republic of Namibia, is a country on the west coast of Southern Africa. Its borders include the Atlantic Ocean to the west, Angola and Zambia to the north, Botswana to the east and South Africa to the south; in the no ... about 23.03 million to 15.97 million years ago. References Monotypic prehistoric Artiodactyla genera Miocene mammals of Africa Fossils of Namibia Climacoceratidae {{Paleo-eventoedungulate-stub ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Helladotherium
''Helladotherium'' is an extinct genus of sivatheriine giraffid from Europe, Africa, and Asia during the Miocene. The most complete skeleton is that of a female, based on a comparison with an intact female ''Sivatherium giganteum'' skull. Only two species of ''Helladotherium'' have been discovered, with ''H. grande'' being larger than ''H. duvernoyi''. The former has been found only in Pakistan. List of species * ''Helladotherium duvernoyi'' * ''Helladotherium grande'' Helladotherium duvernoyi 1.JPG, Skull Helladotherium duvernoy MHNT.PAL.2013.0.1021.1-3.jpg, Forelimb, Pikermi Former collection Gaudry References Sources * ''The Evolution of Artiodactyls'' by Donald R. Prothero and Scott E. Foss * ''Mammoths, Sabertooths, and Hominids'' by Jordi Agusti and Mauricio Anton * ''Classification of Mammals'' by Malcolm C. McKenna and Susan K. Bell See also * ''Sivatherium'' * '' Giraffokeryx'' * ''Palaeotragus'' * ''Hydaspitherium ''Hydaspitherium'' is an extinct ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
