''Blastomeryx'' is an extinct

genus Genus (; : genera ) is a taxonomic rank above species and below family (taxonomy), family as used in the biological classification of extant taxon, living and fossil organisms as well as Virus classification#ICTV classification, viruses. In bino ...

musk deer Musk deer can refer to any one, or all eight, of the species that make up ''Moschus'', the only extant genus of the family (biology), family Moschidae. Despite being commonly called deer, they are not true deer belonging to the family Cervidae, b ...

endemic to

North America North America is a continent in the Northern Hemisphere, Northern and Western Hemisphere, Western hemispheres. North America is bordered to the north by the Arctic Ocean, to the east by the Atlantic Ocean, to the southeast by South Ameri ...

. It lived during the

Miocene The Miocene ( ) is the first epoch (geology), geological epoch of the Neogene Period and extends from about (Ma). The Miocene was named by Scottish geologist Charles Lyell; the name comes from the Greek words (', "less") and (', "new") and mea ...

epoch 20.4—10.3 mya, existing for approximately . There may be only one species, ''Blastomeryx gemmifer''.Prothero, 2007 (p. 221-226) ''Blastomeryx'' was long and looked like a modern

chevrotain Chevrotains, or mouse-deer, are small, even-toed ungulates that make up the family Tragulidae, and are the only living members of the infraorder Tragulina. The 10 extant species are placed in three genera, but several species also ar ...

. Its canines were elongated into tusks which it probably used to uproot plants and fend off predators. While ''Blastomeryx'' (as well as modern musk deer) lacked

antler Antlers are extensions of an animal's skull found in members of the Cervidae (deer) Family (biology), family. Antlers are a single structure composed of bone, cartilage, fibrous tissue, skin, nerves, and blood vessels. They are generally fo ...

s, a Middle Miocene species had bony knobs on its skull, which have been interpreted as incipient horns.

References

{{Taxonbar, from=Q2588832 Prehistoric musk deer Miocene Artiodactyla Piacenzian extinctions Miocene mammals of North America White River Fauna Fossil taxa described in 1877 Prehistoric Artiodactyla genera Taxa named by Edward Drinker Cope